Tu  T  :b  :r  j^  Ti  ^5r 

©hcological   ^cminavy. 

PRINCETOX,  y.  J. 
The  Stephen  Collins  Dunatiun. 

BR  252  .J36  1847 

Janney,  Samuel  Macpherson, 

1801-1880. 
An  historical  sketch  of  the 

Christian  church  during  the 


AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


CHRISTIAN    CHURCH 


DURING    THE 


MIDDLE    AGES 


6Y    SAMUEL    M.    JANNEY. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
John  Richards,  Printer,  No.  299  Market  Streef. 

1847. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    I. 

On  the  Corruptions  of  Christianity. 

CHAPTER    II. 

History  of  the  Novatians,  Paulicians,  and  Albi- 
genses. 

CHAPTER    III. 

History  of  the  Waldenses  before  the  Reformation. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

History  of  the  Waldenses  after  the  Reformation. 


PREFACE. 

The  following  work  was  begun  with  a  view  to  give  a 
brief  History  of  the  VValdenses,  and  was  afterwards  ex- 
tended by  introducing  sketches  of  the  history  and  doctrines 
of  oilier  dissenters  from  the  Greek  and  Roman  Churches, 
who  appeared  previous  to  the  Reformation. 

The  writer  does  not  profess  to  give  a  regular  Ecclesias- 
tical History,  but  merely  sketches  of  some  events  which 
had  an  important  bearing  upon  the  progress  or  declension 
of  Christian  principles. 

Jt  will  be  perceived  that  the  Church  of  Christ  is  here 
viewed  in  a  very  ditferent  light  from  that  in  which  it  has 
been  presented  by  some  historians; — its  vitality  depends,  not 
upon  the  form  of  its  organization,  the  creed  it  has  adopted, 
or  the  ceremonies  it  employs;  but  rather  upon  the  indwell- 
ing qf  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and  the  manifestation  of  that 
Spirit:  by  works  of  charity  and  love.  The  highest  evidence 
we  can  give  of  our  love  to  God,  is  by  loving  our  fellow-men 
and  laboring  or  suffering  for  their  good. 

The  progress  of  Christianity  has  been  seldom  promoted, 
but  often  retarded,  by  the  disputations  of  learned  theolo- 
gians,— while  its  simple  and  sublime  principles,  expressed 
in  the  lives  of  the  humble  followers  of  the  Lamb,  have  had 
power  to  subdue  the  hearts  and  convince  the  understand- 
ings of  men.  The  reader  of  ecclesiastical  liistory  cannot 
fail  to  observe,  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  disputes,  and 
much  of  the  bloodshed  that  have  taken  place  among  the 
professions  of  Christianity,  have  originated  in  attempting 
to  establish  or  refute  speculative  opinions  that  were  in 
themselves  of  no  importance  whatever.  The  learned  and 
subtle  disputants,  while  contending  for  shadows,  suffered 
the  substance  to  escape  them.  They  built  upon  a  system 
of  doctrines,  embracing  nice  metaphysical  dictinctions, 
while  the  only  essential  part  of  Christianity — its  regenera- 
ting power,  derived  from  the  Spirit  of  Christ— was  little 
understood  or  experienced. 


It  is  the  purpose  of  this  treatise  to  illustrate  the  effects 
of  this  Divine  power  upon  the  heart  and  life,  by  reference 
to  the  self-denying  example  of  some,  who,  though  consider- 
ed  and  treated  as  heretics  in  their  day,  were  so  fully  im- 
bued  with  the  Christian  spirit,  that  even  their  persecutors 
bore  witness  to  the  meekness  and  purity  of  their  lives. 

It  has  been  customary  among  all  Protestants,  and  more 
especially  of  late,  to  laud  the  character  and  doctrines  of  the 
Waldenses,  but  I  apprehend  that  the  views  and  practice  of 
that  ancient  ciiurch  have  not  been  fully  understood;  for 
they  were,  before  the  Reformation,  widely  different,  in 
many  respects,  from  most  of  the  Protestant  churches  who 
have  claimed  affinity  with  them.  Their  simple  worship 
and  unpaid  ministry, — their  testimonies  against  war  and 
oaths  of  all  kinds, — and  their  patient  endurance  of  persecu- 
tion for  conscience  sake,  have  invested  their  history  with 
especial  interest. 

In  preparing  this  little  work,  the  writer  has  carefully 
consulted  such  standard  works,  relating  to  the  subject,  as 
were  accessible  to  him,  and  has  generally  referred  to  them 
in  the  margin.  The  work  is  now  submitted  to  the  public 
with  a  hope  that  it  may  promote  tiie  cause  of  Truth  and 
the  advancement  of  practical  righteousness. 

S.  M.  J. 
Spjingdale  Boarding  School, 

Loudon  Co.,  Va.,  5th  mo.  2Mh,  1847. 


INTRODUCTION. 

It  is  not  proposed  in  this  work  to  give  a  full 
history  of  the  Christian  church  during  the  period 
of  which  it  treats,  but  merely  a  sketch  of  some 
events  which  had  a  material  influence  upon  the 
progress  or  decline  of  Christian  principles. 

The  advent  of  the  Messiah  is  the  most  impor- 
tant and  interesting  event  recorded  in  the  annals 
of  the  world.  Whether  we  consider  the  dignity 
and  perfection  of  his  character,  the  ennobling  ten- 
dency of  the  doctrines  he  taught,  or  the  influence 
his  example  has  had  upon  the  progress  of  society, 
his  mission  stands  without  a  parallel.  The  prin- 
ciples he  promulgated  being  immutable  in  their 
nature,  have  been  the  same  in  all  ages;  and  al- 
though  at  times  but  imperfectly  understood,  and 
still  more  imperfectly  carried  out  in  practice,  they 
are,  in  proportion  to  their  prevalence  in  the  minds 
of  men,  the  only  means  of  true  peace  in  this  life, 
and  of  preparation  for  the  joys  of  an  eternal 
world.  But  what  are  tliese  principles?  They 
are  all  comprised  in  these  two  precepts  of  Christ, 
To  love  God  supremely,  and  our  neighbor  as  our- 
selves. He  who  truly  loves  the  Divine  author  of 
our  being  will  imitate  his  perfections  as  exempli- 
fied in  the  life  of  his  beloved  Son,  and  exhibited 
in  his  works;  "  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on 
the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the 
just  and  on  the  unjust."  Matt.  v.  45. 


vni. 


The  Jewish  people  at  the  time  of  Christ's 
coming  strictly  observed  the  ritual  of  Moses;  but 
in  their  blind  attachment  to  outward  ceremonies 
"  they  omitted  tiie  weightier  matters  of  the  law — 
judgment,  mercy,  and  faith."  It  was  the  main 
purpose  of  the  ministry  of  Jesus  to  call  their  at- 
tention to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  or  reign  of  God 
in  the  hearts  of  his  people,  which  sets  them  free 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption,  and  brings  them 
into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 

By  thi^>  means  the  disciples  of  Christ  came  to 
experience  in  themselves  the  fulfilment  of  the 
law,  and  to  witness  in  the  purifying  and  sanctify- 
ing operations  of  Divine  grace  all  those  spiritual 
realities  which  were  shadowed  forth  in  sacrifices 
and  ablutions.  But  although  the  ceremonial  law 
was  not  intended  to  be  permanent,  it  appears  that 
Jesus  observed  all  its  obligations;  and  there  is  no 
evidence  that  during  his  ministry  he  gave  any 
command  for  its  abrogation.  His  design  evident- 
ly was,  by  calling  men  to  the  substance  to  lead 
them  from  the  shadows,  wliich  are  destined  to 
pass  away,  as  the  sliades  of  night  are  dispersed 
by  the  rising  sun. 

After  his  death  and  resurrection,  his  disciples 
still  continued  in  their  attachment  to  the  institu- 
tions of  their  fathers.  Notwithstanding  the  ex- 
traordinary illumi?iation  they  experienced  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  they  could  not  relinquish  the 
prejudices  of  their  education,  and  they  still  ad- 
hered to  rites  and  ceremonies  possessing  in  them- 
selves no  efficacy ,  but  endeared  to  them  by  early 
associations,  and  venerated  for  their  high  antiqui- 
ty.    It  appears  that   Peter,  eight  years  after  the 


ascension  of  Christ,  was  so  filled  with  Jewish 
prejudices,  that  it  required  a  remarkable  vision 
to  convince  him  that  he  ought  to  go  into  the  house 
of  Cornelius  to  preach  the  gospel;  and  after  he 
had  done  so,  "  they  of  the  circumcision  contended 
with  him,  saying,  Thou  wentest  in  unto  men  un- 
circumcised  and  didst  eat  with  them." 

But  the  multitudes  of  Gentiles  who  were  con- 
verted  to  the  Christian  faith  came  into  the  church 
with  no  prepossession  for  the  rites  of  Judaism,  and 
some  of  them,  perhaps,  with  a  strong  repugnance 
to  its  onerous  yoke.  The  attempt  made  by  some 
of  the  Jewish  Christians  to  force  upon  these  the 
rituals  of  Moses  occasioned  a  controversy  which 
required  for  its  settlement  all  the  wisdom  and  for- 
bearance of  the  apostles. 

At  the  council  held  at  Jerusalem  (A.  D.  52) 
to  consider  this  question,  after  there  had  been 
"much  disputing,"  Peter  rose  and  reminded  them 
that  God  had  blessed  his  ministry  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  conferred  Jipon  them  the  Holy  Spirit;  where- 
.ore  then,  said  he,  "  will  ye  tempt  God  to  put  a 
yoke  on  the  neck  of  the  disciples,  that  neither  our 
fathers  nor  we  were  able  to  bear." 

Paul  and  Barnabas  aho  declared  what  mira- 
cles and  wonders  God  had  wrought  among  the 
Gentiles  by  them,  after  which  James  delivered 
the  judgment  of  the  assembled  church  in  favor  of 
exempting  the  Gentiles  from  the  Mosaic  ritual. 

Notwithstanding  this  judgment  of  the  church, 
dictated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Jewish  Christians 
still  adhered  to  the  ceremonial  law;  for  we  find 
that  eight  years  after  this  council,  and  twenty- 
Ibiir  jears  after  the  conversion  of  Paul,  when  he 


went  up  to  Jerusalem  the  disciples  said  to  him, 
"  thou  seest,  brother,  how  many  thousands  of 
Jews  there  are  which  believe,  and  they  are  all 
zealous  of  the  Imv."  On  this  occasion  the  apostle 
of  the  Gentiles  so  far  condescended  to  the  preju- 
dices of  his  brethren,  as  to  purify  himself  and  to 
enter  with  four  others  into  the  temple,  "  until  an 
offering  should  be  made  for  every  one  of  them;" 
and  the  reason  assigned  by  the  elders  for  this  pro- 
ceeding was  to  make  it  known  that  Paul  himself 
walked  orderly  and  kept  the  law.  Acts  xxi.  17 
to  25. 

Indeed,  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the 
Jewish  Christians  ever  relinquished  the  Mosaic 
law  until  after  the  seventieth  year  of  the  Chris- 
tian era,  when  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  with 
its  splendid  temple  put  an  end  to  the  regular  ad- 
ministration of  its  rites.  The  water  baptism  of 
John  was  probably  retained  for  the  same  reason, 
although  it  was  acknowledged  that  the  baptism 
which  saves  is  "  not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth 
of  the  flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience 
towards  God."  1  Peter  iii.  21. 

The  conflicting  sentiments  of  the  Jewish  and 
Gentile  converts  were  not  confined  to  those  doc- 
trines and  ceremonies  which  sprung  from  the  Mo- 
saic law;  for  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the 
converts  from  heathenism  also  brought  with  them 
prejudices  and  customs  which,  in  the  second  and 
third  centuries,  it  was  thought  expedient  to  con- 
ciliate  by  the  adoption  of  pagan  ceremonies,  or 
the  modification  of  Jewish  rites,  so  as  to  accord 
with  their  lonir  established  habits. 


Thus  there  was  a  gradual  departure  from  the 
simplicity  and  spirituality  of  the  gospel  dispensa- 
tion; and  while  rites  and  ceremonies  were  multi- 
plied, the  attention  of  the  people  was  drawn  off 
from  the  only  point  of  vital  importance,  the  opera- 
tion of  divine  grace  in  the  soul,  and  fixed  upon  a 
mass  of  cumbrous  observances. 

It  will  be  shown  in  the  following  work  that  this 
declension  of  the  Christian  church  was  greatly 
accelerated  by  the  learned  doctors  who  embraced 
the  profession  of  the  gospel,  and  blended  with  its 
pure  doctrines  the  speculative  notions  which  they 
brought  with  them  from  the  schools  of  heathen 
philosophy. 

In  proportion  as  pure  Christianity  declined  the 
power  of  the  bishops  and  other  church  officers 
was  increased,  for  it  is  the  invariable  tendency  of 
superstition  to  degrade  the  mass  of  the  people,  and 
to  increase  the  power  of  those  by  whom  the  cere- 
monies of  religion  are  administered. 

There  is  but  one  means  by  which  the  church 
can  be  preserved  in  purity,  and  that  is  by  a  con- 
tinual reliance  upon  the  teachings  of  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  who  is  "  the  true  shepherd  and  bishop  of 
souls."  The  revelation  of  this  heavenly  power 
in  the  human  soul,  by  which  it  is  redeemed  from 
sin  and  made  "a  partaker  of  the  Divine  nature," 
is  the  only  means  of  obtaining  a  saving  knowledge 
of  God  and  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ. 

It  was  this  revelation  to  which  Christ  alluded 
when  he  said  to  Peter,  "on  this  rock  I  will  build 
my  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it:"  this  rock  is  Christ  in  his  spiritual 
manifestation,  "  for  other  foundation  can  no  man 


lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ.''   1 
Cor.  iii.  11. 

The  vitality  of  the  Christian  church  depends 
not  upon  the  form  of  its  organization,  the  creed  it 
has  adopted,  or  the  ceremonies  it  employs,  but 
upon  the  indwelling  of  the  spirit  of  Christ,  and  the 
manifestation  of  that  spirit  by  works  of  charity 
and  love, — for  these  are  the  fruits  it  will  always 
bring  forth.  That  these  blessed  fruits  may  be 
promoted  and  practical  piety  advanced,  has  been 
the  design  of  the  writer  in  preparing  this  work, 
which  he  has  endeavored  to  render  accurate  by 
consulting  and  comparing  all  the  reliable  authori- 
ties within  his  reach. 


AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

OF    THE 

CHRISTIAN    CHURCH 

CORING     THE 

MIDDLE    AGES. 

CHAPTER    I. 

The  Corruptions  of  Christianity, 

During  that  dark  and  disastrous  period  known 
in  history  as  the  Middle  Ages,  extending  from  the 
latter  part  of  the  5th  to  the  close  of  the  15th  cen- 
tury, there  existed  in  various  parts  of  Europe 
and  Asia  large  bodies  of  Christian  worshippers 
who  had  withdrawn  from  the  Crreek  and  Roman 
churches,  in  order  to  escape  the  corruption  of 
their  morals  and  the  domination  of  the  clergy. 

It  is  the  design  of  this  treatise  to  give  an  ac- 
count of-  these  dissenters,  and,  in  order,  show  the 
proprietyof  their  withdrawal  from  the  established 
churches;  it  seems  proper  to  take  a  view  of  the 
state  of  religion  at  that  period,  and  to  endeavor  to 
trace  the  causes  which  led  to  that  general  declen- 
sion  of  morals  and  corruption  of  doctrines  which 
tarnished  the  glory  of  the  Christian  name. 


This  ''  falling  away"  from  the  purity  of  primi- 
tive Christianity  had  been  foreseen  and  predicted 
by  the  inspired  penmen. 

The  apostle  Paul,  in  his  address  to  the  ciders 
of  the  church  of  Ephesus,  related  in  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles,  tells  them,  "  I  know  this,  that  after 
my  departing  shall  grievous  wolves  enter  in 
among  you,  not  sparing  the  flock.  Also  of  your 
own  selves  shall  men  arise,  speaking  perverse 
things,  to  draw  away  disciples  after  them." 

In  his  first  Epistle  to  Timothy  he  says,  "  Now 
the  spirit  speaketh  expressly,  that  in  the  latter 
times  some  shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving 
heed  to  seducing  spirits  and  doctrines  of  demons; 
speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy;  having  their  con- 
sciences seared  with  a  hot  iron;  forbidding  to 
marry,  and  commanding  to  abstain  from  meats, 
which  God  hath  commanded  to  be  received  with 
thanksgiving  of  them  who  believe  and  know  the 
truth."  Chap.  iv.  1. 

In  his  second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  chapter  3rd, 
he  alludes  to  the  same  class  of  false  teachers, 
who  would  intrude  themselves  into  the  church, 
being  heady,  high-minded,  lovers  of  pleasure 
more  than  lovers  of  God,  and  having  the  form  of 
godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof.  And 
in  his  second  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians,  chap- 
ter 2nd,  he  alludes  to  a  prevalent  belief,  that  the 
Messiah  would  shortly  appear  to  judge  the  world, 
and  cautions  them  "not  to  he  shaken  in  mind  nor 
troubled,  neither  by  spirit,  nor  by  word,  nor  by 
letter  as  from  vs,  as  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at 
hand.  Let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means: 
for  that  dav  shnll    not   conie.  e\cf  pt  fhere  be  a 


3 

falling  away  first,  and  that  tiie  man  of  sin  be  re- 
vealed." 

In  the  same  Epistle  he  says,  "  The  mystery  of 
iniquity  doth  already  work,  only  he  who  now 
letteth  will  let,  [or  hinder]  until  he  be  taken  out 
of  the  way." 

The  causes  which  led  to  this  declension  of  the 
church,  may  chiefly  be  classed  under  two  heads: 
1st,  The  ambition  and  covetousness  of  the  bishops; 
2ndly,  Their  proneness  to  adopt  the  notions  of 
speculative  philosophy. 

In  the  original  constitution  of  the  Christian 
church,  it  would  seem  as  though  the  Messiah 
had  taken  especial  pains  to  guard  against  these 
two  sources  of  corruption.  He  had  chosen  for 
his  apostles,  not  the  scribes  or  teachers  of  the 
law,  but  unlearned  fishermen  and  mechanics; — 
he  sent  them  forth  as  lambs  among  wolves,  not 
dependent  upon  the  weapons  of  human  wisdom, 
but  upon  the  guidance  of  Divine  grace.  So  far 
from  authorising  them  to  receive  money  for  their 
instructions,  he  told  them,  "  freely  ye  have  re- 
ceived, freely  give,"  and  they  went  forth  "taking 
nothing  of  the  gentiles,"  but  with  their  own  hands 
ministering  to  their  necessities,  remembering  the 
words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  "  it  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive." 

Not  only  men,  but  women  also,  were  engaged 
in  this  service,  and  many  females  are  mentioned 
in  the  New  Testament,  who  were  prophetesses 
and  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

The  ministers  of  the  Christian  churches  were, 
during  the  first  and  second  centuries,  generally 
*'  plain  and  illiterate  men.  remarkable  rather  for 


their  piety  and  zeal,  than  fur  iheir  learning  and 
eloquence.'"*  Among  them  there  were  many  who 
bore  the  name  of  prophets,  being  endowed  with  a 
Divine  gift,  by  which  they  were  enabled  '•  to 
speak  to  edification,  exhortation,  or  comfort."  It 
is  remarked  by  the  learned  Moshiem,  that  these 
prophets  were  raised  up  by  the  providence  of  God, 
"  to  discourse  in  the  public  assemblies  upon  the 
various  points  of  Christian  doctrine,"  because 
"there  were  few  men  of  learning  in  the  primitive 
church  who  had  capacity  enough  to  insinuate 
into  the  minds  of  a  gross  and  ignorant  multitude, 
the  knowledge  of  Divine  things;"  and  he  informs 
us,  that  "  the  order  of  prophets  ceased  when  the 
want  of  teachers  which  gave  rise  to  it  was  abun- 
dantly supplied."!  In  this  instance  he  has  evi- 
dently mistaken  the  effect  for  the  cause. 

It  cannot  be  supposed  that  human  learning 
would  supply  the  place  of  a  Divine  gift  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry;  but  it  is  reasonable  to  con- 
clude that  when  the  minds  of  men  were  with- 
drawn from  a  dependence  upon  Divine  power, 
and  disposed  to  lean  upon  human  wisdom,  the 
heavenly  gift  would  be  withheld  and  spiritual 
darkness  would  ensue. 

In  proportion  as  the  number  of  learned  doctors 
or  teachers  of  religion  increased  in  the  church, 
their  influence  was  exerted  in  favor  of  philoso- 
phy; and  at  length,  "vvhon  they  gained  tlie  ascen- 
dency,  "  laws  were  enacted  which  excluded  the 
ignorant  and  illiterate  from  the  office  of  public 
teachers."  J 

•  Moshicin,  E.  H.,  F^ook  I,  part  U,  chap.  iii.  HbiH,  pait 
"2,  chap.  ii.     I  Ibid,  part  2,  chap.  i. 


The  (Jciiiger  which  awaited  the  church  from 
the  corrupting  influence  of  heathen  philosophy, 
had  heen  pointed  out  by  the  apostle  Paul  in  his 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians:  "Beware  lest  any  man 
spoil  you  through  pliilosophy  and  vain  deceit,  af- 
ter the  traditions  of  men,  after  the  rudiments  of 
the  world,  and  not  after  Christ."  Chap.  ii.  8.  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  a  large  proportion  of 
the  philosophy  which  prevailed  in  that  day  was 
justly  entitled  to  the  epithet  of  "ram  deceit.^'  It 
was  not  directed  to  the  observation  of  natural 
phenomena,  nor  to  the  investigation  of  the  laws 
established  by  the  Creator;  but  was  chiefly  em- 
ployed in  fruitless  speculations,  many  of  which 
related  to  subjects  far  beyond  the  reach  of  human 
wisdom.  There  can  be  no  reasonable  objection 
to  the  cultivation  of  u^ell-founded  science,  which 
relies  upon  facts  for  its  premises,  and  directs  its 
researches  to  the  order  of  nature  established  by 
the  Deity.  This  inductive  philosophy  leads  to 
useful  results;  it  promotes  the  comforts  of  life, 
facilitates  the  intercourse  of  nations,  and  expands 
the  mind  by  enlarged  views  of  the  universe.  But 
speculative  philosophy  is  barren;  it  dreams  iiu 
stead  of  observing;  it  finds  its  premises  in  the  re, 
gions  of  imagination,  and  wastes  its  energies  \\\ 
pursuing  shadows.  In  order  to  show  the  perni- 
cious influence  it  exerted  in  corrupting  the  Chris- 
tian church,  I  will  briefly  advert  to  some  of  its 
distinguishing  features.  The  Oriental  philosophy, 
which  was  embraced  by  many  of  the  early  Chris- 
tians, was  supposed  to  be  derived  from  Zoroaster, 
the  celebrated  Persian  sage;  but  there  is  muclj 
uncertainty  concerning  the  doctrines  be  taught, 
1* 


6 

which  are  supposed  to  have  been  corrupted  by 
his  successors,  who  took  the  name  of  Gnostics,  a 
term  borrowed  from  the  Greek  to  express  their 
more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Divine  nature. 

They  taught  that  the  Deity,  after  having  ex- 
isted many  ages  in  solitude  and  silence,  at  length 
produced  from  himself  two  other  beings,  of  the 
most  pure  and  exalted  nature,  one  of  whom  was 
male  and  the  other  female.  From  these  two 
sprang  a  vast  family  of  celestial  and  immortal 
beings,  whose  habitation  is  in  the  Pleroma,  or  re- 
gions of  infinite  space.  Matter  they  considered 
the  source  of  all  evil;  they  believed  that  it  has 
existed  from  all  eternity,  but  was  a  shapeless  and 
incongruous  mass,  subject  to  perpetual  agitation 
until  it  was  found  by  one  of  these  celestial  spirits, 
who  reduced  it  to  order  and  produced  the  world 
we  now  inhabit.* 

He  created  man,  who  was  endowed  with  a  ray 
of  celestial  light,  either  stolen  from  heaven,  or 
imparted  by  the  bounty  of  the  Deity.  When  the 
work  of  creation  was  finished,  this  creating  spirit, 
whom  they  termed  Demiurgis,  revolted  from  the 
Divine  government,  assumed  the  exclusive  control 
of  this  new  world,  and  drew  over  to  himself  a 
ninnber  of  inferior  spirits,  whom  he  appointed  his 
agents  or  assistants.  Man,  therefore,  was  sup- 
posed to  be  compounded  of  two  principles,  acting 
in  opposition  to  each  other;  a  soul  partaking  of 
the  Divine  nature  and  aspiring  to  its  great  origi- 
nal,  but  confined  in  a  material  body  as  its  prison 

*  Jones'  Ch.  Hi-tory,  Yol.  1,  p.  30.     Moahiem,  E.  IJ.,  Ist 

century. 


house;   borne  down  by  the  earthly  propensities 
which  spring  from  the  flesh,  and  liable  to  be  in- 
fluenced by  the  fallen  spirits  or  demons  by  whom 
the  world  is  governed.    From  this  doctrine  sprang  " 
two  modes  of  life,  or  courses  of  discipline,  exactly 
opposite.     One  sect  of  the  Gnostics  maintained 
that  the  animal  propensities  must  be  kept  down 
by  rigid  abstinence,  laceration  of  the  body,  and 
every  species  of  austerity,  in  order  that  the  soul 
may  be  permitted  to  rise  in  contemplation  to  its 
Divine  parent.      The  other  sect  contended  that 
the  essence  of  piety  consists  in  a  knowledge  of  the 
Supreme  Being,  and  that  the  soul  being  purified 
by  contemplation,  is  not  responsible  for  the  pas- 
sions and  propensities  of  the  body.     Hence,  they 
imposed  no  restraints  upon  their  appetites,  and 
led  the  most  dissolute  lives,  while  professing  to 
be  purified   in  spirit.     There  was  another  sect, 
whose  system  professed  to  combine  and  explain 
all  other  systems  of  philosophy,  and  to  comprise 
the  sublimated  essence  of  all  knowledge.     This 
school,  known  by  the  appellation  of  the  New  Pla- 
tonists,  was  founded  near  the  close  of  the  second 
century  by  Ammonius   Saccas,  who   taught  at 
Alexandria  in  Egypt,  with  the  most  distinguished 
success.*     Ammonius  was  born  of  Christian  pa- 
rents, and   is  generally  supposed  to  have   been 
himself  a  professor  of  Christianity,   though   the 
system   which    he   taught   was   an    incongruous 
mass  of  opinions,  borrowed  from  all  the  schools 
of  pagan  philosophy,  and  blended  with  some  of 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity. 

*  Moshictn,  E.  H.,  2nd  centwy. 


He  inaiiitaiiied  that  the  true  doctrines  of  philo* 
sdphy  and  religion  came  from  the  east,  and  were 
taught  to  the  ancient  Egyptians  by  Hermes.— 
From  Egypt  they  were  transplanted  to  Greece 
and  corrupted  by  the  fables  of  the  poets,  but 
again  revived  in  their  original  purity  by  Plato. 
He  endeavored  to  show  that  the  fables  of  the 
Grecian  poets,  and  the  ceremonials  of  the  Jewish 
law,  were  but  allegorical  representations  of  these 
original  doctrines,  which  Jesus  Christ  came  to 
restore  and  purify.  His  views  concerning  the 
eternity  of  matter  and  the  government  of  the 
world  by  demons,  resembled  the  doctrines  of  the 
Gnostics,  and  like  them,  he  taught  that  the  free- 
dom of  the  soul  from  sensuality  was  only  to  be 
attained  by  the  most  severe  mortification  of  the 
body.  Those  of  his  disciples  who  aspired  to  the 
perfection  of  wisdom,  were  required  to  adopt  the 
most  rigid  abstinence,  and  the  most  severe  disci- 
pline, for  the  purpose  of  subduing  all  the  desires 
of  the  flesh.  Withdrawing  themselves  from  hu- 
man society,  they  devoted  their  days  to  contem- 
plation, and  their  nights  to  watching  and  prayer, 
in  order  that  they  might  shake  off  the  trammels 
of  the  body  and  rise  into  union  with  the  Father 
of  Spirits.  The  doctrines  of  this  school  were  so 
well  adapted  to  the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  enforced 
with  so  much  learning  and  dexterity,  that  they 
spread  rapidly  and  involved  in  the  labyrinths  of 
error  many  of  the  most  prominent  teachers  in  the 
Christian  church. 

Among  these  was  Origin,  celebrated  for  his 
learning  and  zeal,  who  endeavored  to  explain  the 
scriptures  by  forced  constructions,  so  as  to  make 


9 

them  agree  with  the  Platonic  philosophy,  and  thus 
gave  rise  to  the  science  oi^  scholastic  theology — the 
darkest  and  most  dana-eroiis  innovation  that  ever 
assailed  the  church  of  Christ. 

It  is  mournful  to  reflect,  that,  during  the  space 
of  more  than  a  thousand  years,  those  who  as- 
sumed to  be  the  shepherds  of  the  Christian  flock 
resorted  for  instruction  to  schools  and  colleges 
where  these  visionary  and  deceptive  notions  pre- 
vailed, and  where  the  most  renowned  professors 
wasted  their  time  in  vain  speculations  and  fruit- 
less debates. 

Another  pernicious  consequence  of  the  doc- 
trines of  the  New  Platonists,  was  the  belief  in 
demons  or  evil  spirits,  which,  in  the  third  centu- 
ry, became  prevalent  in  the  church.  It  was 
supposed  that  these  evil  spirits  were  continually 
hovering  over  human  bodies,  with  a  vehement 
desire  to  seduce  them  from  the  path  of  duty,  and 
that  the  actions  of  wicked  men  were  not  so  much 
prompters  by  their  own  depraved  passions,  as 
stimulated  by  the  whispers  of  these  fallen  spirits. 
Hence  there  was  instituted  in  the  church  an  or- 
der of  men  called  Exorcists,  whose  duty  it  was 
to  expel  evil  spirits  from  the  new  converts,  which 
they  pretended  to  effect  by  loud  shouting  and  de- 
clamation; and  the  demon  was  often  heard  to  con- 
fess, as  he  took  his  departure,  that  he  was  one  of 
the  false  gods  worshipped  by  the  pagans.  As 
the  labors  of  the  Exorcist  were  supposed  to  expel 
the  demons  from  the  chambers  of  the  heart,  so  the 
ceremony  of  water  baptism  was  thought  to  close 
the  door  against  his  return.* 

*  Moshipm, 


10 

Although  the  absurdities  of  fanaticism  may  ex* 
cite  a  smile  of  derision,  it  is  humiliating  to  think 
that  the  pure  and  simple  religion  of  Jesus  should 
so  soon  have  been  obscured  and  contaminated  by 
the  inventions  of  men.  Nor  did  these  innovations 
spring  from  the  supei'stitions  of  the  ignorant  muU 
titude;  they  were  introduced  by  bishops  and  pres* 
byters,  distinguished  for  their  learning  and  re. 
nowned  for  their  eloquence.  In  attempting  to 
interpret  the  scriptures,  they  discarded  the  only 
true  guide — the  voice  of  the  pure  witness  within 
the  heart — and  giving  the  reins  to  their  imagina- 
tions, they  sought  for  the  secrets  of  wisdom  in  the 
wildest  dreams  of  pagan  philosophy. 

Although  their  doctrines  have  long  since  fallen 
into  contempt  and  neglect  among  the  well-inform- 
ed, there  is  reason  to  believe  that  their  lingering 
influence  is  still  felt  in  the  superstitions  that  pre- 
vail among  the  vulgar  in  some  parts  of  Christen- 
dom. There  are  nmltitudes  who  still  atti'ibute  to 
the  influence  of  demons  much  of  the  wickedness 
that  prevails  among  mankind,  and  are  even  dis- 
posed to  assign  to  these  evil  spirits  an  agency  in 
human  affairs  that  ill-comports  with  the  power 
and  benevolence  of  the  Deity. 

The  exclusion  of  the  unlearned  from  the  Chris- 
tian  ministry,  so  contrary  to  the  example  of  Christ 
and  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  soon  began  to  produce 
the  most  bitter  fruits,  and  led  to  the  division  of  the 
church  into  two  classes,  the  clergy  and  the  laity; 
a  distinction  that  was  entirely  unknown  in  the 
primitive  church. 

No  sooner  was  this  monopoly  established  than 
the  clergy  began  to  encroach  upon  the  liberties 


11 

of  the  people,  by  assuming  the  right  to  settle  all 
differences  in  matters  of  faith;  and  the  numerous 
synods  and  councils  they  caused  to  be  assembled, 
composed  entirely  of  ecclesiastics,  instead  of  set- 
tling their  differences,  only  tended  to  disturb  the 
peace  of  the  church  and  scandalize  their  profes- 
sion. We  find  no  trace  of  these  councils  before 
the  middle  of  the  second  century;  for  in  the  ear- 
lier ages  of  the  church  those  nice  points  of  specu- 
lative theology,  which  afterwards  caused  so  much 
dissention,  had  been  left  undetermined;  it  being 
the  chief  concern  of  the  apostles  and  their  im- 
mediate successors  to  express  the  excellence  of 
Christianity  by  the  purity  of  their  lives,  rather 
than  to  inquire  into  its  doctrines  with  excessive 
curiosity. 

No  creed  or  confession  of  faith  had  then  been 
adopted;  "  but  all  who  professed  firmly  to  believe 
that  Jesus  was  the  Redeemer  of  the  world,  and 
who,  in  consequence  of  this  profession,  promised 
to  live  in  a  manner  conformable  to  his  holy  reli- 
gion, were  immediately  received  among  the  dis- 
ciples of  Christ.* 

During  the  apostolic  age,  nothing  was  deter- 
mined without  the  consent  and  approbation  of  the 
people,  for  all  were  united  together  in  the  bonds 
of  Christian  love;  the  Spirit  of  Divine  grace  was 
acknowledged  as  the  governing  principle;  and 
every  member  moving  under  this  influence  might 
speak  his  opinion.  The  bishops,  presbyters,  or 
elders,  which  were  only  different  names  for  the 
same  office,  so  far  from  arrogating  to  themselves 

*  Moshiem,  p.  42. 


12 

the  control  over  tlie  whole  body,  were  "examples 
to  the  flock''  and  servants  of  the  church.  But 
the  councils  assembled  in  the  second  and  third 
centuries  changed  the  whole  face  of  affairs,  by 
diminishing  the  privileges  of  the  people  and  aug- 
menting the  power  of  the  clergy. 

The  bishops  did  not  at  once  assume  the  au- 
thority with  which  they  were  afterwards  invest- 
ed. Their  encroachments  were  gradual.  At 
their  first  appearance  in  these  councils  they  were 
considered  only  as  the  delegates  of  their  respec- 
tive churches,  and  acted  in  the  name  and  on  be- 
half of  the  people.  "But  they  soon  changed  this 
humble  tone,  imperceptibly  extended  the  limits 
of  their  authority,  turned  their  influence  into  do- 
minion and  their  counsels  into  laws,  and  openly 
asserted,  at  length,  that  Christ  had  empowered 
them  to  prescribe  authorative  rules  of  faith  and 
manners."*  "  They  had  the  address  to  persuade 
the  people  that  the  ministers  of  the  Christian 
church  succeeded  to  all  the  rights  and  privileges 
of  the  Jewish  priesthood,  and  this  was  a  source 
of  honor  and  profit  to  the  sacred  order."  * 

Hence  the  rise  of  tythes,  first  fruits,  splendid 
garments  and  titles  of  honor  by  which  the  clergy 
became  distinguished. 

This  great  change  in  the  character  and  consti- 
tution of  the  Christian  system  did  not  immediately 
prevail  in  all  the  churches  which  were  scattered 
throughout  the  Roman  empire.  In  some  places 
they  were  protected  by  their  poverty  from  the  en- 
croachments of  the  clergy;   and  in  others  they 

•  Moshicm,  vol.  1,  p.  60. 


13 

^'ere  favored  with  ministers  who  could  not  be 
'dazzled  by  the  display  of  erudition,  nor  seduced 
by  the  allurements  of  luxury. 

The  persecution  they  endured  under  several  of 
the  Roman  emperors  had  also  a  salutary  effect  in 
preserving  the  purity  of  the  church,  by  repelling 
from  its  communion  those,  who,  from  unworthy 
motives,  might  have  been  induced  to  profess  the 
Christian  name.  These  persecutions  were  some- 
times undertaken  to  gratify  the  arbitrary  will  of 
the  emperors;  but  not  unfrequently  they  were  in- 
stigated by  the  bigotry  of  the  pagan  priesthood 
and  the  clamor  of  a  superstitious  people. 

The  numerous  train  of  priests  and  augurs,  who 
found  lucrative  employment  in  the  heathen  tem- 
ples, saw  that  their  craft  was  in  danger;  for  the 
triumph  of  Christianity  must  be  attended  by  the 
downfall  of  paganism.  In  order  to  rouse  the  pre- 
judices of  the  populace,  they  accused  the  Chris- 
tians with  being  the  enemies  of  the  gods,  and  the 
haters  of  mankind. 

Thus  it  happened,  as  in  the  case  of  Socrates 
at  Athens,  an  attempt  to  lift  the  veil  which  con- 
'cealed  the  deformity  of  paganism,  roused  in  the 
breasts  of  a  superstitious  people  the  most  malig- 
nant passions;  and  the  inculcation  of  the  most 
sublime  of  all  religious  truths,  the  unity  and 
spirituality  of  the  Supreme  Being,  was  branded 
with  the  odious  name  of  atheism.  The  fires  of 
persecution  were  lighted, — the  most  agonizing 
tortures  were  inflicted  upon  venerable  men  and 
delicate  women, — the  wild  beasts  of  the  amphi- 
theatre were  let  loose  upon  the  unoffending  vic- 
tims; but  still  the  Christian  martyrs  remained  un- 
2 


14 

dismayed, — refused  to  renounce  that  faith  which 
was  the  crown  of  their  rejoicing, — &,ad  died  in  the 
full  assurance  of  a  blessed  immortality.  Notwith- 
standing the  odium  that  attended  the  profession  of 
the  cross,  multitudes  were  convinced  by  the  con- 
stancy of  the  martyrs,  and  every  act  of  persecu- 
tion enlarged  the  boundaries  of  the  church. 

But  now  the  scene  is  about  to  change:  the  em- 
peror, Constantine,  makes  a  public  profession  of 
Christianity,  and  although  he  still  tolerates,  for  a 
while,  the  religion  of  his  ancestors,  he  employs 
all  the  influence  of  his  station  and  the  patronage 
of  the  state,  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  church 
and  promote  the  power  and  dignity  of  the  clergy. 
This  event,  which  was  hailed  by  the  Christians 
with  transports  of  joy,  and  considered  the  harbin- 
ger of  happier  days,  proved  to  be  the  means  of 
corrupting  the  Christian  ministry  and  hastening 
the  progress  of  the  apostacy. 

In  proportion  as  wealth  and  honors  were  lavish- 
ed upon  the  clergy,  their  stations  became  an  ob- 
ject of  ambition,  and  the  sacred  office  was  soon 
filled  by  men  who  were  actuated  by  base  and  un- 
worthy motives.  This  was  especially  the  case  in 
Rome,  Constantinople,  Antioch  and  Alexandria, 
where  the  churches  were  richly  endowed  and 
presented  to  the  aspiring  clergy  a  tempting  object 
of  pursuit,  which  was  seldom  attained  without 
vehement  contention.  The  ecclesiastical  writers 
afford  abundant  evidence,  that  soon  after  the  ac- 
cession of  Constantine,  A.  D.  306,  the  spirit  of 
disputation,  which  had  before  been  introduced  by 
scholastic  theology,  but  had  hitherto  been  sup- 
pressed by  the  pagan  power,  burst  into  an  open 


15 

flame  and   involved  the  churches  in  a  general 
conflict. 

The  principal  subject  of  dispute  in  the  fourth 
century,  was  the  doctrine  of  three  persons  in  the 
God-head;  a  subject,  "which  in  the  three  preced- 
ing  centuries  had  happily  escaped  the  vain  curi- 
osity of  human  researches,  and  been  left  unde- 
fined and  undetermined  by  any  particular  set  of 
ideas."  Previous  to  this  time,  "nothing  had  been 
dictated  on  this  head  to  the  faith  of  Christians, 
nor  were  there  any  modes  of  expression  prescribed 
as  requisite  to  be  used  in  speaking  of  this  myste- 
ry." "Hence  it  happened  that  the  Christian 
doctors  entertained  different  sentiments  upon  this 
subject  without  giving  the  least  offence."*  "In 
Egypt  and  the  adjacent  countries,  the  greater 
part  embraced  in  this,  as  in  other  matters,  the 
opinion  of  Origin,  who  held  that  the  Son  was  in 
God,  that  which  reason  is  in  man,  and  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  nothing  more  than  the  Divine 
energy  or  active  force."*  The  origin  of  the  dis- 
putes respecting  this  doctrine  took  place  in  an 
assembly  of  the  presbyters  of  Alexandria.  The 
bishop  of  that  city,  whose  name  was  Alexander,, 
"  maintained  that  the  Son  was  co-eternal  and  of 
the  same  essence  and  dignity  with  the  Father." 
But  "Arius,  one  of  the  presbyters,  disputed  this 
position,  and  contended  that  the  Son,  although  the 
first  and  noblest  of  created  beings,  was  not  co- 
eternal  with  the  Father,  and  therefore  inferior  to 
him,  both  in  nature  and  dignity."!    This  dispute, 

*  Moshiein,  E.  H.,  4th  century,  part  2nd. 
t  Moshiem,  4th  century.    Jones,  I.  p.  292- 


16 

which  is  known  by  the  name  of  the  "Arian  con- 
troversy," soon  grew  so  violent  and  extended  so- 
widely,  that  the  emperor  Constantino  became  con- 
cerned for  the  peace  and  reputation  of  the  church; 
and  he  endeavored  by  expostulation  and  entreaty 
to  restore  harmony  between  the  contending  par- 
ties.  Finding  his  efforts  unavailing,  he  summon- 
ed a  general  council  of  bishops  to  meet  at  Nice, 
in  Bythinia,  A.  D.  325.  The  number  of  bishops 
was  318,  besides  a  multitude  of  presbyters  and 
deacons,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  2048  persons. 
Constantine  met  in  person  with  this  ecclesiastical 
assembly,  and  the  first  thing  they  did,  before  pro- 
ceeding to  business,  was  to  commence  complain- 
ing of  each  other  before  tbe  emperor,  and  vindi- 
cating themselves.  He  listened  with  patience  to 
their  disputes,  and  desired  them  to  reduce  their 
complaints  to  writing,  which  being  done,  he  threw 
all  the  billets  unopened  into  the  fire,  saying,  that 
it  did  not  belong  to  him  to  decide  the  differences 
of  Christian  bishops,  and  the  hearing  of  them  must 
be  deferred  till  the  day  of  judgment. 

The  emperor  having  succeeded  in  quieting 
their  complaints,  they  proceeded  to  consider  the 
business  before  them,  and,  after  a  warm  discus- 
sion of  about  two  months,  they  drew  up  a  creed, 
"which  they  all  were  required  to  subscribe  as  the- 
only  true  and  orthodox  faith,  and  which,  from  the 
place  where  they  were  assembled,  bears  the  name 
of  Nicene." 

Arius  appeared  in  the  council,  and  was  op- 
posed by  Alexander,  who  was  assisted  by  Athena- 
sius,  afterwards  bishop  of  Alexandria,  and  famous 
as  a  controversial  writer. 


17 

The  decision  of  the  council  was  adverse  to  the 
doctrines  of  Arius,  whose  opinions  were  condemn- 
ed, and  he  and  his  followers  were  excommuni- 
cated. Arius  was  banished  from  Alexandria;  and 
an  edict  was  issued  by  the  emperor,  commanding 
that  his  writings  should  be  destroyed;  and  any 
person  convicted  of  concealing  them  should  suffer 
death. 

At  this  council  the  time  of  holding  Easter  was 
also  settled,  which  was  considered  so  important, 
that  it  had  occasioned  the  most  violent  dissentions. 
The  bishops  having  fulfilled  their  arduous  labors, 
the  emperor  filled  their  pockets,  and  courteously 
dismissed  them. 

The  creed  established  by  this  council  of  con- 
tentious  bishops,  and  enforced  by  the  sword  of  a 
Roman  emperor,  was  so  far  from  healing  the  dis- 
sentions  of  the  church,  that  it  only  increased  the 
animosity  of  the  two  parties,  and  the  persecutin^r 
edict  of  Constantine  enlisted  on  the  side  of  Arius 
the  sympathies  of  the  public;  so  that  in  the  suc- 
ceeding reign  he  was  recalled  from  banishment, 
^and  his  party  gained  the  ascendency,  when  they 
*in  turn  persecuted  the  Athenasian  party,  and  en- 
deavored  to  establish  their  own  doctrines  by  the 
arm  of  secular  power. 

After  various  vicissitudes,  the  Athenasian  par- 
ty  finally  prevailed  over  the  Arians,  and  assumed 
the  name  of  Catholic,  or  universal  church,  of 
which  the  bishop  of  Rome  was  considered  the 
head. 

It  appears  sufficiently  clear,  that  in  the  Apes- 
tohc  age  the  See  of  Rome  enjoyed  no  kind  of  su- 
premacy or  control  over  other  churches. 

2* 


18 

The  plea  set  up  by  some  writers,  that  Peter 
was  the  prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  that  he  found- 
ed the  See  of  Rome  and  delegated  his  authority 
to  his  successors,  appears  to  have  no  other  founda- 
tion than  tradition  of  the  most  doubtful  character. 
An  event  so  important  to  the  Christian  church, 
could  not   have   been  entirely  overlooked   in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  the  Epistles  of  Paul. 
Now,  we  find  no  mention  of  it  in  the  Acts ;  and 
Paul,  so  far  from  countenancing  such  a  claim, 
says  expressly,  that  to  himself  was  committed  the- 
ministry  of  the  Gentiles,  as  that  of  the  circumci- 
sion had  been  to  Peter.    It  appears  from  the  most 
authentic  accounts,  that  in  the  first  and  second 
centuries  the  bishops  of  Rome  did  not  enjoy,  or 
even    claim    any   supremacy   or    authority  over 
other  churches.     All  the  bishops  were  consider- 
ed as  brethren,  whose   master  was  Christ;   but 
there  were  three  churches,  those  of  Rome,  An- 
tioch,  and  Alexandria,  which,  in  consequence  of 
the  great  number  of  their  members,  and  the  pow- 
er  and  dignity  of  those  cities,  possessed  greater 
influence  than  the  churches  established  in  smaller 
cities. 

This  influence  being  delegated  to  the  bishops 
who  represented  those  churches,  gave  them  great 
consideration  among  their  brethren,  but  no  au- 
thority to  govern  them  in  matters  of  faith. 

When  the  seat  of  imperial  power  was  transfer- 
red to  Constantinople,  the  bishop  of  that  cily 
claimed  the  same  respect  that  had  been  awarded 
to  Rome,  Antioch,  and  Alexandria.  In  process 
of  time  the  churches  of  Antioch  and  Alexandria 
were  weakened  by  various  causes,  and  ultimately 
almost  dcijtroyed  by  the  donuniou  of  the  Saracens. 


19 

During  this  time  the  power  of  the  Roman  bishops 
was  gradually  augmented  ;  but  their  encroach- 
ments were  resisted  by  the  patriarchs  of  Constan- 
tinople, who  were  considered  at  the  head  of  the 
Greek  church.  From  that  time  to  the  present 
the  Roman  and  Greek  churches  have  been  at  va- 
riance :  they  differ  from  each  other  in  their  doc- 
trine and  discipline,  but  are,  perhaps,  equally 
alienated  from  the  purity  and  simplicity  of  the 
Christian  dispensation. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  sixth  century  John,  the 
patriarch  of  Constantinople,  received  the  title  of 
universal  bishop,  which  was  conferred  upon  him 
by  a  council  held  in  that  metropolis.  This  title 
was  so  offensive  to  Gregory,  who  about  this  time 
assumed  the  title  of  pope,  that  he  used  every  ef- 
fort to  induce  the  patriarch  to  renounce  it ;  and 
failing  in  this,  he  appealed  to  the  emperor  Mauri- 
tius, but  without  success.  Gregory,  who  has 
been  honored  by  the  Catholic  writers  with  the 
title  of  "  the  great,"  condemned  this  "  pompous 
title;"  declaring  that  "  whoever  adopts  or  affects 
the  title  of  universal  bishop,  has  the  pride  and 
character  of  anti-Christ."*  Yet  this  very  title, 
so  much  abhorred  by  Gregory,  when  applied  to 
his  rival,  was  a  few  years  afterwards  Solicited  by 
one  of  his  successors,  Boniface  ITT.,  on  whom  it 
was  conferred  in  the  year  606  by  the  emperor 
Phocas,  one  of  the  most  profligate  tyrants  that 
■ever  usurped  a  throne.! 

No  sooner  had  the  title  of  universal  bishop  been 
conferred  by  Phocas  on  the  popes,  than  they  be. 

*  Jones  i.  381.        t  Mosbietn,  6th  and  7tb  centuries. 


20 

gan  to  assume  a  more  extensive  authority,  and 
claimed  the  right  to  exercise  jurisdiction  over  the 
whole  Catholic  church.  This  claim  was  for  a 
long  time  rejected  by  the  other  bishops,  and  re- 
quired many  centuries  of  persevering  efforts  for 
its  full  establishment. 

Hitherto  the  popes  had  only  claimed  spiritual 
dominion ;  but  in  the  year  754,  Papin,  (la  Bref) 
king  of  France,  in  order  to  secure  his  usurped 
power,  made  an  alliance  with  pope  Stephen,  in- 
vaded Italy,  subdued  the  king  of  the  Lombards, 
and  bestowed  a  part  of  his  territory  upon  the 
bishop  of  Rome,  who  from  that  time  became  a 
temporal  prince,  and  held  the  sword  of  the  magis- 
trate as  well  as  the  ci-osier  of  the  priest.  Charle- 
magne, the  successor  of  Papin,  and  the  most 
powerful  monarch  of  his  age,  still  further  aug- 
mented the  papal  power.  This  renowned  con- 
queror was  engaged  during  many  years  in  bloody 
wars  with  the  Saxons  and  Huns,  whom  he  under- 
took to  convert  to  the  Christian  religion  by  force 
of  arms;  and  he  finally  succeeded  in  dragooning 
them  into  a  profession  of  Christianity.  He  sta- 
tioned among  them  many  bishops  and  priests,  and 
founded  schools  and  monasteries,  in  order  to  com- 
plete the  work  begun  by  his  soldiers.  Although 
licentious  in  morals,  his  signal  services  in  behalf 
of  the  church  entitled  him  to  high  consideration, 
and  his  name  stands  enrolled  in  the  calendar  of 
Catholic  saints. 

After  the  death  of  Charlemagne,  A.  D.  814, 
the  empire  was  divided  among  his  sons ;  and  the 
popes  took  advantage  of  their  weaknesses  to  ad- 
vance their  claims.   Nicholas  I.,  in  the  year  858, 


was  seated  in  the  papal  chair,  and  announced  to 
the  world  his  claim  to  paramount  jurisdiction  over 
all  Christian  kingdoms,  in  virtue  of  his  office  as 
the  successor  of  St.  Peter. 

This  arrogant  assumption,  thougli  at  first  re- 
sisted, was,  through  the  weakness  and  dissentions 
of  the  European  monarehs,  submitted  to  by  many, 
and  in  several  instances  was  exercised  by  hum- 
bling or  deposing  the  most  powerful  sovereigns. 

One  of  the  most  efficient  measures  employed  to 
advance  the  power  of  the  clergy,  was  the  imposi- 
tion of  a  vow  of  celibacy  on  all  who  entered  the 
order  of  the  priesthood.  By  this  means  they  were 
separated  from  their  connection  with  society,  their 
individual  interests  were  merged  in  the  general 
interests  of  the  order,  and  their  energies  were  de- 
voted to  building  up  and  consolidating  the  power 
of  the  clergy,  which  was  considered  as  identified 
with  the  prosperity  of  the  church. 

During  the  first  three  centuries,  marriage  was 
permitted  to  all  the  members  of  the  church  ;  and 
we  learn  from  the  Scriptures,  that  the  Apostle 
Peter  had  a  wife  ;  and  Philip  the  Evangelist  had 
four  daughters,  who  were  all  prophetesses.  But 
it  appears  that  in  the  third  century,  "those  who 
continued  in  a  state  of  celibacy  obtained  by  this 
abstinence  a  higher  reputation  of  sanctity  and 
virtue  than  others. 

"  This  was  owing  to  an  almost  general  persua- 
sion, that  they  who  took  wives  were  of  all  others 
the  most  subject  to  the  influence  of  malignant  de- 
mons."*   In  order  to  comply  with  this  prevailing 

*  Moshiem  (3d  century)  cites  Porphyrius. 


22 

superstition,  many  of  the  clergy  lived  m  a  state 
of  celibacy  ;  but  the  attempt  thus  made  to  coun- 
tervail the  order  of  nature  re-acted  upon  its  au- 
thors with  tremendous  effect,  and  introduced  into 
the  church  a  general  corruption  of  morals. 

This  deplorable  result  was  still  further  aug- 
mented by  the  tendency .  towards  monastic  life, 
which  prevailed  throughout  Christendom. 

It  appears  that  even  before  the  Christian  era  a 
portion  of  the  sect  of  the  Essenes  retired  from  so- 
cial life,  and  established  communities  where  a 
rigid  abstinence  from  every  pleasure  was  prac- 
tised or  professed,  in  order  to  secure  the  tranquil- 
lity and  perfection  of  the  soul. 

During  the  earlier  ages  of  the  Christian  church, 
when  its  members  were  subjected  to  persecution 
and  death  by  their  Pagan  rulers,  great  numbers 
of  both  sexes  fled  to  deserts  Or  solitary  places, 
where  they  obtained  a  frugal  subsistence  by  the 
labor  of  their  hands.  When  persecution  ceased, 
many  returned  to  their  homes ;  but  some  having 
become  accustomed  to  solitude,  chose  to  remain 
and  devote  their  lives  to  religious  contemplations. 

The  example  of  these  anchorites  may  have 
been  the  first  step  towards  monkery,  which  after- 
wards became  so  prevalent  throughout  Christen- 
dom ;  but  about  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury the  ascetic  life  was  embraced  by  several 
fanatics,  who  attained  to  great  celebrity,  and 
spread  far  and  wide  their  pernicious  supersti- 
tions. 

Anthony,  an  illiterate  youth  of  Thebais,  in 
Egypt,  distributed  his  patrimony,  renounced  so- 
ciety and  kindred,  and  after  a  long  and  painful 


23 

sojourn  among  the  tombs,  advanced  three  days' 
journey  into  the  desert,  to-  the  eastward  of  the 
Nile,  and  fixed  his  abode  in  a  lonely  spot  which 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  shade  and  water.  Here 
he  became  an  object  of  curiosity  and  superstitious 
reverence,  numerous  pilgrims  resorted  to  him, 
and  havin";  attained  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
five  years,  he  rejoiced  in  beholding  numerous 
colonies  of  monks,  the  fruits  of  his  teaching  and 
example. 

"  I'o  the  south  of  Alexandria,  the  mountain 
and  adjacent  desert  of  Nitria  were  peopled  by 
five  thousand  anchorets ;  and  the  traveller  may 
still  investigate  the  ruins  of  fifty  monasteries 
which  were  planted  in  that  barren  soil  by  the  dis- 
ciples of  Anthony."* 

About  the  middle  of  the  fourth  century,  "Atha- 
nasius  introduced  into  Rome  the  knowledge  and 
[practice  of  the  monastic  life,"  by  transferring  to 
that  city  an  Egyptian  colony  of  monks. 

The  strange  and  savage  appearance  of  these 
^fanatics  at  first  excited  the  horror  and  contempt 
of  the  Remans,  but  at  length  gained  their  ap- 
plause and  zealous  imitation. 

"  The  senators,  and  more  especially  the  ma- 
trons, transformed  their  palaces  and  villas  into 
religious  houses,  and  numerous  monasteries  were 
erected  on  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  temples. "t 

The  infection  spread  to  all  parts  of  the  empire: 
ttlie  monasteries  of  Palestine  are  represented  as 
'*' innumerable ;"  they  were  also  "profusely" 
scattered  on  the  coast  of  the  Black  sea;  in  Gaul, 

*  Gibbon,  vol.  2,  385  f  Ibid.  386. 


in  Ireland,  and  in  lona,  one  of  tlie  Hebrides,  col^ 
onies  were  found  ;  and  wherever  they  appeared 
they  obtained  the  reverence  of  a  superstitious 
people.  The  pure  and  simple  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ  was  corrupted  by  the  monks,  who  thought, 
by  voluntary  penances,  to  gain  the  favor  of  hea- 
ven, lacerating  the  body  to  purify  the  soul,  and 
substituting  a  round  of  useless  ceremonies  for  that 
pure  and  spiritual  worship  which  alone  is  accep- 
table  to  the  Father  of  spirits. 

The  rapid  increase  and  wide  diffusion  of  the 
monastic  orders  is  attributed  by  Moshiem  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  New  Platonists,  introduced  in 
Eigypt  by  Ammonius  about  the  close  of  the  second 
century,  and  subsequently  adopted  by  the  teachers 
of  religion  in  most  of  the  schools  of  philosophy. 

According  to  their  views, — the  matter  of  which 
our  bodies  are  composed  being  naturally  inclined 
to  evil,  and  the  soul  being  also  subjected  to  the 
influence  of  evil  spirits,  which  are  continually 
hovering  around  us, — it  becomes  necessary  to 
mortify  the  body  by  severe  penances,  in  order  to. 
purify  the  soul  from  the  gross  desires  of  the 
flesh. 

In  an  age  when  superstition  was  general,  there 
were  various  motives  which  prompted  to  the  adop- 
tion of  the  monastic  life.  Some  embraced  it  in 
youth,  under  the  influence  of  misguided  zeal,— 
others  in  old  age  endeavored  to  atone  for  a  life  of 
sensuality  and  crime,  by  renouncing  the  pleasures 
they  could  no  longer  enjoy,  and  spending  their 
few  remaining  years  in  voluntary  penance. 

The  rich  were  sometimes  induced  to  give  up 
their  wealth,  to  purchase  treagiires  in  heaven; 


25 

and  the  poor  and  distressed  hoped  to  lind  tran- 
quillity and  ease  in  the  seclusion  of  tlie  cloister. 

Thus  they  renounced  the  obligations  of  society, 
and  the  pleasures  and  duties  of  domestic  life, 
under  the  vain  pretence  of  devoting  themselves  to 
God  ;  as  though  it  were  more  acceptable  to  Him 
to  spend  our  lives  in  useless  ceremonies,  or  indo- 
lent repose,  than  to  be  actively  engaged  in  the 
service  of  mankind,  in  imitation  of  our  holy  pat- 
tern, who  went  about  continually  doing  good. 

To  such  a  pitch  of  extravagance  was  this  pas- 
sion carried,  that  many  of  these  enthusiasts  erect- 
ed for  themselves  pillars  or  columns,  on  the  top 
of  which  they  passed  many  years  of  their  lives, 
destitute  of  shelter,  and  regardless  of  the  incle- 
mency of  the  seasons. 

These  were  called  stylites,  or  pillar  saints. 
One  of  them  named  Simeon,  a  Syrian  monk, 
passed,  in  this  manner,  thirty-seven  years  of  his 
life,  of  which  the  last  fifteen  were  spent  on  a  col- 
umn sixty  feet  high.  There  he  went  through  the 
various  forms  of  his  devotions,  sometimes  stretch- 
ing out  his  arms  to  make  the  figure  of  a  cross, 
but  more  frequently  bowing  his  emaciated  body 
until  his  forehead  came  in  contact  with  his  feet. 

"  Successive  crowds  of  pilgrims  from  Gaul  and 
India  saluted  the  pillar  of  Simeon  ;  the  tribes  of 
Saracens  disputed  in  arms  the  honor  of  his  bene- 
diction, the  queens  of  Arabia  and  Persia  grateful- 
ly confessed  his  supernatural  virtue ;  and  the  an- 
gelic hermit  was  consulted  by  the  younger  The- 
odosius  in  the  most  important  concerns  of  the 
church  and  state.  His  remains  were  transported 
to  Antioch  by  a  solemn  procession  of  the  patri- 
3 


26 

arch,  the  master  general  of  the  East,  six  bishops, 
twenty-one  counts  or  tribunes,  and  six  thousand 
soldiers.  The  fame  of  the  Apostles  and  martyrs 
was  graduall}^  eclipsed  by  these  recent  and  popu- 
lar anchorets ;  the  Christian  world  fell  prostrate 
before  their  shrines ;  and  the  miracles  ascribed 
to  their  relics  exceeded,  at  least  in  number  and 
duration,  the  spiritual  exploits  of  their  lives."* 

As  superstition  increased  and  extended  its  sway, 
the  passion  for  relics,  the  adoration  of  images,  the 
invocation  of  saints,  and  the  performance  of  pil- 
grimages became  general  among  the  professors  of 
Christianity,  and  afforded  another  source  of  wealth 
and  power  to  the  clergy. 

No  place  of  worship  was  in  favor  with  the 
people,  unless  it  could  boast  of  having  the  bones 
of  a  martyr,  a  wonder-working  image  of  the  Vir- 
gin, or  at  least  something  that  had  been  once  in 
contact  with  the  sacred  remains  of  a  saint.  To 
illustrate  this  superstition  I  will  quote  a  letter 
written  towards  the  close  of  the  sixth  century  by 
pope  Gregory  I.,  to  whom  the  Greek  empress 
had  applied  for  tlie  body  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  to 
be  placed  in  a  church  at  Constantinople. 

Gregory  informs  her  that  she  has  solicited  what 
he  dares  not  grant ;  for,  says  he,  "  the  bodies  of 
the  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul  are  so  terrible  by 
their  miracles,  that  there  is  reason  to  apprehend 
danger  in  approaching  even  to  pray  to  them.  My 
predecessor  wanted  to  make  some  alterations  in  a 
silver  ornament  on  the  body  of  St.  Peter,  at  the 
distance  of  fifteen  feet,  when  an  awful  vision  ap- 

*  Gibbon,  vol.  2.  p.  394. 


27 

peared  to  him,  which  was  followed  by  his  deatJr. 
I  myself  wished  to  repair  somewhat  about  the 
body  of  St.  Paul ;  and  with  a  view  to  that,  had 
occasion  to  dig  a  little  near  his  sepulchre,  wherj, 
in  digging,  the  superior  of  the  place  raising  some 
bones  apparently  unconnected  with  the  sacred 
tomb,  had  a  dismal  vision  after  it  and  suddenly 
died.  In  like  manner,  the  workman  and  the 
monks,  not  knowing  precisely  the  tomb  of  St. 
Lawrence,  accidentally  opened  it,  and  having 
seen  the  body,  though  he  did  not  touch  it,  died  in 
ten  days.  Wherefore,  madam,  the  Romans,  in 
granting  relics,  do  not  touch  the  saints'  bodies ; 
they  only  put  a  little  linen  in  a  box,  which  they 
place  near  them  ;  after  some  time  they  withdraw 
it,  and  deposite  the  box  and  linen  solemnly  in  the 
church  which  they  mean  to  dedicate.  This  linen 
performs  as  many  miracles  as  if  they  had  trans- 
ported the  real  body.  In  the  time  of  pope  Leo 
some  Greeks  doubting  the  virtue  of  such  relics, 
he  took  a  pair  of  scissors,  as  we  are  assured,  and 
cuttincr  the  linen,  forthwith  the  blood  flowed  from 

it." 

He,  however,  tells  the  empress  that  he  will  en- 
deavor to  send  her  a  few  grains  of  the  chain  which 
had  been  on  Paul's  neck  and  hands,  and  which 
had  been  found  peculiarly  efficacious,  provided 
they  succeeded,  which  was  not  always  the  case, 
in  filing  them  off.* 

I  have  given  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  causes  which 
led  to  the  corruption  of  Christianity,  and  some  of 
the  steps  by  which  an  apostate  persecuting  church 

*  Jones,  vol.  1,  p.  360.  Fleury's  Ecc.  Hist.,  tome  viii.  p. 
91,93. 


28 

arrived  at  tlie  sujumit  of  power.  VVe  see  that  her 
encroachments  were  at  first  gradual  and  almost 
imperceptible ;  for  in  the  first  stage  of  her  pro- 
gress she  could  have  had  no  prospect  of  the  giddy- 
height  lo  which  she  afterwards  attained.  In  pro- 
portion as  the  priesthood  became  enriched,  they 
aspired  to  power,  and  indulged  in  luxury,  until, 
at  length,  their  arrogance  knew  no  bounds,  and 
their  vices  were  proverbial  throughout  Christen- 
dom. During  that  mournful  period  which  elapsed 
between  the  ninth  and  the  sixteenth  centuries,  the 
state  of  religion  was  truly  deplorable :  the  worr 
ship  of  images  and  relics  was  almost  every  where 
practised, — pretended  miracles  at  the  shrines  of 
the  saints  were  devoutly  believed  by  the  vulgar; 
the  sacred  Scriptures  were  hidden  from  the  people, 
and  almost  unknown  to  the  clergy  ;  worship  was 
performed  in  a  dead  language;  the  hard  earnings 
of  the  poor,  and  the  righes  of  the  great,  were  ta- 
ken to  purchase  masses  for  the  dead,  and  indul- 
gences for  the  living  ;  the  terrors  of  the  inquisi- 
tion repressed  the  spirit  of  inquiry,  and  impaired 
the  confidence  of  social  life  ;  and,  in  fact,  every 
thing  seemed  to  proclaim  that  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness had  taken  possession  of  the  human  mind. 

But  let  us  not  suppose  that  the  knowledge  of 
Divine  Truth  was  banished  from  the  earth  ;  the 
church  of  Christ  was  indeed  oppressed  and  afflict- 
ed, but  not  destroyed  ;  the  outer  court  was  trod- 
den down  by  the  Gentiles,  but  true  worship  was 
still  performed  by  a  faithful  few  in  the  inner 
.sanctuary  of  the  heart.  Notwithstanding  the 
general  corruption  of  manners  that  prevailed, 
there   were,    doubtless,    many    pure    spirits    that 


29 

tnourned  in  secret  for  the  desolations  of  Zion ; 
and  many  true  liearts  tliat  did  not  bow  the  knee 
to  Baal,  nor  kiss  his  image.  Even  in  the  clois- 
ters of  the  monks  and  nuns,  so  generally  the 
abodes  of  sloth  and  licentiousness,  some  sincere 
worshippers  were  found,  who,  like  Thomas  a  Kem- 
pis,  retired  from  the  world  to  seek  for  spiritual 
comfort  in  communion  with  God.  But  there  was 
another  class  of  worshippers  far  more  interesting 
to  us,  and  by  no  means  inconsiderable  in  num- 
ber, whose  histoiy  I  propose  to  examine  in  ano- 
ther chapter. 

These  were  the  dissenters  from  the  established 
churches,  who  for  many  centuries  bore  witness 
to  the  truth,  and  protested  against  the  usurpations 
of  the  clergy. 

The  brightness  of  their  example  softened  the 
gloom  that  settled  over  the  Christian  church,  du- 
ring the  long  dark  period  of  the  middle  ages ;  as 
the  twinkling  of  a  solitary  star,  in  a  tempestuous 
night,  serves  to  keep  alive  the  hopes  of  the  dis- 
tressed mariner,  until  the  morning  star  appears, 
and  gives  the  promise  of  another  glorious  day. 


30 


CHAPTER    11. 

History  of  the  Novatians,  Paulicians^  and  Albi- 
genses. 

Having  in  ihe  first  chapter  taken  a  view  of  the 
causes  which  led  to  the  corruption  of  Christianity, 
and  irjvolved  its  professors  in  the  dark  clouds  of 
ignorance  and  superstition,  I  sjjall  now  proceed 
to  describe  some  of  those  Christian  churches,  or 
sects,  wiiich  dissented  from  the  doctrines  and 
withdrew  from  the  communion  of  the  Latin  and 
Greek  churches. 

The  purity  of  manners  exhibited  by  these  dis- 
senters, the  firmness  with  which  they  resisted  the 
encroachments  of  the  bishops,  and  their  constancy 
in  the  midst  of  persecution  and  extreme  sufferings, 
cannot  fail  to  awaken  the  interest,  and  call  forth 
the  admiration  of  every  benevolent  heart. 

By  means  of  their  faithfulness,  a  succession  of 
witnesses  has  been  preserved  from  the  Apostolic 
age  down  to  the  present  time;  and  although  they 
have  prophesied  in  sackcloth,  and  borne  the  odious 
name  of  heretics,  even  their  persecutors  have 
been  compelled  to  acknowledge  the  spotless  pu- 
rity of  their  lives.  The  knowledge  we  have  of 
these  dissenters  in  ancient  times  is  chiefly  derived 
from  the  writings  of  their  adversaries,  who,  while 
they  bear  witness  to  the  excellence  of  their  moral 
character,  afJect  to  consider  them  the  worst  of 
heretics,  because  they  denied  the  supremacy  of 


31 

(he  pope,  and  bore  a  testimony  ag.sinst  the  sacrifice 
of  the  mass,  the  worship  of  imajjes  and  relics,  ihe 
invocation  of  saints,  and  the  vices  of  the  cleroy. 

These  dissenters  were  known  by  Viiiious  names, 
such  as  Novatians,  Calhari,  Pau!ici;in?,  Paterines, 
Waldenses,  Albigenses,  VVickliffiles,  and  Bohe- 
mian Brethren. 

Even  before  the  time  of  Constantine  the  Great, 
a  pastor  of  one  of  the  churches  in  Rome,  whose 
name  was  Novatian,  separated  from  the  Catholic 
party,  on  the  ground  that  their  discipline  was  too 
much  relaxed,  and  their  communion  degraded,  by 
receiving  back  into  membership  those  who,  in 
times  of  persecution,  had  denie(]  the  faith  and 
fallen  into  idolatry.  He  also  complained  that  the 
attention  of  the  people  had  been  transferred  by 
the  bishops  from  the  great  principles  of  religion, 
and  fixed  upon  vain  shows  and  ceremonies  bor- 
rowed from  the  Jewish  law,  and  the  institutions  of 
paganism.  ^'  Great  numbers  followed  the  exam- 
ple of  Novatian;  and  all  over  the  empire  Puritan 
churches  were  constituted,  and  flourished  through 
the  succeeding  two  hundred  years.  Afterwards, 
when  penal  laws  obliged  them  to  lurk  in  corners 
and  worship  God  in  private,  ihey  were  distin- 
guished by  a  variety  of  names,  and  a  succession 
of  them  continved  till  the  Reformation.^'  'I'his 
accotmt,  taken  from  Robert  Robinson's  Ecclesi- 
astical Researches,  does  not  entirely  correspond 
with  the  views  tfjat  Moshiem  an<l  some  olhers 
have  taken  of  the  secession  of  Novatian.  These 
writers  concur  with  the  Catholics  in  blaming  him 
for  the  severity  of  his  discipline,  which,  they  al- 


lef,'e.   inflicted  n   needless  woutid  nn  the  peace  of 
the  church. 

[t  is,  however,  a('knovvle(l<rcH  by  all,  that  there 
was  at  this  time,  in  most  of  the  churches,  an 
alarrninix  tendency  to  pomp  and  luxury  on  the 
part  of  the  clerjiy,  accompanied  in  many  instances 
by  vices  which  dishonored  their  profession.*  This 
being  the  case,  it  is  obvious  that  the  secession  of 
some  part  of  the  church,  in  order  to  establish  a 
purer  discipline,  would  have  a  salutary  influence 
upon  the  whole.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
motives  which  prompted  Novalian,  there  is  suffi- 
cient evidence  that  the  members  of  the  churches 
which  bore  his  name,  and  who  were  sometimes 
called  Cathari,  or  Puritans,  from  the  strictness  of 
their  morals,  were  a  worthy  and  exemplary  peo- 
ple. 

When  the  emperor  Constantine  the  Great 
condemned  the  errors  of  the  Manicheans  and 
their  kindred  sects,  he  directed  a  civil  magistrate 
to  inquire  into  the  principles  of  the  Novatians; 
and  being  convinced  of"  their  orthodox  fliith  and 
exemplary  morals,'"  he  issued  an  edict  in  their  fa- 
vor, exempting  from  the  penalties  of  the  law,  and 
allowing  them  to  build  a  church  at  Constantino- 
ple.t  "One  charge  against  them  was,  that  they 
did  not  pay  due  reverence  to  the  martyrs,  nor  al- 
low that  there  was  any  virtue  in  their  relics;"^ 
which  is  an  evidence  of  their  good  sense,  and 
shows  that,  even  in  that  early  age,  superstition 
ond  idolatry  were  creeping  into  the  church, 

*  Moshicni,  3d  century,  part  ii.  chap.  ii. 
t  Gibbon,  1.  436.  t  Jones,  i.  315. 


3$ 

Durinu:  ihe  reign  of  Constantlrie,  the  Novalians 
were  sulbjected  to  a  cruel  persecution  by  Mace- 
doniua,  bishop  or  patriarch  of  Constantinople. 
Being  informed  that  a  large  district  in  Paphligo- 
nia  was  inhabited  almost  entirely  by  them,  he  re- 
solved either  to  convert  or  extirpate  them;  and 
for  this  purpose  sent  an  army  of  four  thousand 
troops  to  subdue  them.  The  Novatian  peasants, 
driven  to  despair,  defended  themselves  with  scythes 
ond  axes,  and  repulsed  the  invaders.*  Although 
often  subjected  to  persecution,  this  is  the  only  in- 
stance I  find  in  which  they  resisted  j  About  the 
same  time  the  most  violent  conflicts  took  place  in 
Constantinople  between  the  Arians  and  Athana- 
sians,  in  which  many  lives  were  lost.  One  of 
their  battles  took  place  in  a  churc-h,  of  which  the 
courts  and  porticos  overflowed  with  blood. 

A  circumstance  is  mentioned  by  an  ancient 
historian,  which  reflects  great  credit  upon  the 
Novatians.  Durhig  the  reign  of  the  emperor 
Valens,  in  the  fourth  century,  the^  Arians  had  the 
ascendency,  and  a  violent  persecution  was  waged 
against  the  Alhanasian  party. 

The  Novatians  were  at  first  included  in  this 
persecution;  but  through  the  influence  of  Mar- 
cian,  one  of  their  presbyters,  ihey  secured  tolera- 
tion for  themselves,  and  extended  much  liberality 
and  kindness  towards  the  Catholic  party,  by  whom 
they  had  formerly  been  persecuted.! 

In  the  fifth  century  the  Novati;ins  were  found 
in  Kgy})t;  and  we  learn  from  Gibbon,  that  one 
of  the   first  acts  of  Cyril,  the  fatuous  archbishop 

*  Gibbon,  i.  467.  f  Jones,  i.  3!5. 


34 

of  Alexandria,  was  lo  persecute  these  people, 
*Mhe  most  innocent  and  harmless  of  all  the  sec- 
taries,''' and  "  to  interdict  their  religious  wor- 
ship."* 

About  the  middle  of  the  seventh  century  ano- 
ther sect  of  dissenters  arose  in  the  east,  under  the 
name  of  Paulicians,  which,  for  the  sufferings  they 
endured  and  the  excellence  of  some  of  their  tes- 
timonies, demand  a  share  of  our  attention. 

An  obscure  individual  named  Constantine,  who 
lived  in  a  village  near  Samosata,  entertained  a 
stranger  who  was  returning  from  Syrian  caj)tivity, 
and  from  him  received  the  inestimable  gift  of  tlie 
New  Testament,  which  was  then  almost  lost  to 
the  world,  being  concealed  by  the  clergy  from 
the  eyes  of  the  vulgar. 

This  book  became  the  constant  study  of  Con- 
stantii>e,  and  enabled  him  to  discover  that  the 
gospel  of  Christ  had  been  almost  obliterated  by 
superstitious  observances  and  the  inventions  of 
men.  lie  was  particularly  attached  to  the  writings 
of  the  apostle  Paul,  and  from  this  circumstance 
it  is  supposed  that  the  name  of  Paulicians  was  de- 
rived, which  was  bestowed  upon  him  and  his  ad- 
herents. Constantino  took  tlie  name  of  Sylvanus, 
and  liis  fellow-laborers  were  known  by  the  appel- 
lations of  'I'itus,  Timothy,  atid  Tychicus,  which 
they  adopted  from  the  writings  of  their  favorite 
author.  The  doctrines  of  this  sect  are  only  known 
through  the  writings  of  their  adversaries,  and  have 
probably  been  much  niisreprer^ented  m  many  pnr- 
liculars;  but  there  is  no  doubt  they  bore  a  faithful 

*  Gibbon,  iii.  249. 


35 

testimony  against  the  worship  of  images  and  relics, 
and  the  invocation  of  saints,  which  had  then  be- 
come almost  universal  in  the  Greek  and  Latin 
churches. 

They  were  accused  hy  llieir  enemies  with  the 
heresy  of  the  Manicheans,  who  blended  the  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel  with  the  speculations  of  the 
Persian  Magians;  but  they  disclaimed  the  imputa- 
tion, and  professed  to  be  the  simple  votaries  of 
St.  Paul  and  of  Christ. 

Whatever  may  have  t)een  their  doctrinal  views, 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  strictness  of 
their  morals,  and  their  open  contempt  of  the  su- 
perstitions of  the  age,  were  the  chief  causes  that 
drew  upon  them  the  hatred  of  a  mercenary  priest- 
hood, who  instigated  the  persecutions  they  en- 
dured. 

♦'The  Paulici:in  teachers  were  distinguished 
only  by  their  scriptural  names,  by  the  modest  title 
of  fellow  pilirrims,  by  the  austerity  of  their  lives, 
their  zeal  or  knowledge,  and  the  credit  of  some 
extraordinary  gifts  of  the  [loly  Spirit."*  "  But 
ti)ey  were  incapable  of  <lesiring,  or  at  least  of  ob- 
taining the  wealth  and  honors  of  the  Catholic 
prelacy;  such  anti-christian  pride  they  bitterly 
censured,  and  even  the  rank  of  elders  or  presby- 
ters was  condemned  as  an  institution  of  the  Jew- 
ish synagogue."* 

Their  proselytes  soon  became  rmmerous,  and 
they  estai)li«hed  churches  throughout  the  "pro- 
vinces of  Asia  Minor,  to  the  westward  of  the  Eu- 
phrates."    Syivanus,  after  having  labored  in  this 

*  Gibbon  ch.  54. 


8(5 

cause  for  twenty-seven  years,  ''retired  from  under 
the  tolerating  government  of  the  Arabs,  and  fell 
a  sacrifice  to  Roman  persecution." 

Simeon,  a  Greek  minister,  armed  with  military 
and  legal  power,  -'appeared  at  Colonia  to  strike 
the  shepherd,  and,  if  possible,  reclaim  the  lost 
sheep  to  the  Catholic  fold.  By  a  refinement  of 
cruelty,  he  placed  the  unfortunate  Sylvanus  be- 
fore a  line  of  his  disciples,  who  were  commanded, 
as  the  price  of  their  pardon  and  proof  of  their  re- 
pentance, to  massacre  their  spiritual  father.  They 
turned  aside  from  the  impious  office;  the  stones 
dropped  from  their  filial  hands,  and  of  the  whole 
number  only  one  executioner  could  be  found, — a 
new  D.ivid,  as  he  is  styled  by  the  Catholics,  who 
boldly  overthrew  the  giant  of  heresy.  Tliis  apos- 
tate, Justus  was  his  name,  again  deceived  and 
betrayed  his  unsuspecting  brethren,  and  a  new 
conformity  to  the  acts  of  St.  Paul  may  be  found 
in  the  conversion  of  Simeon;  like  the  apostle,  he 
embraced  the  doctrines  which  he  had  been  sent 
to  persecute,  renounced  his  honors  and  fortunes, 
and  acquired  among  the  Paulicians  the  fame  of 
a  missionary  and  a  martyr."* 

For  a  period  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  this 
people  sustained  with  patience  all  the  sufferings 
that  the  most  relentless  biijotry  could  inflict. — 
Several  of  the  emperors  of  Constantinople  signal- 
ized their  zeal  for  the  form  of  religion,  by  perse- 
cuting the  unoffending  Paulicians;  but  it  was  re- 
served for  the  empress  'i'heodora,  who  restored 
the  images  to  the  oriental  churches,  to  manifeit 

•Gibbon,  ch.  54. 


37 

her  sanfTuinary  devotion  by  waging  against  them 
an  exterminating  war.  It  was  the  boast  of  her 
flatterers,  tliat,  during  her  short  reign,  one  hun- 
dred thousand  Pauhcians  were  extirpated  by  the 
sword,  tlie  gibbet,  and  the  flames. 

Many  of  them  being  driven  from  their  homes 
found  llieir  way  into  Europe,  where  we  shall  find 
Iheui  introducing  their  religious  views  and  esta- 
blishino  societie.^;  some  of  them  were  driven  by 
persecution  to  revolt  and  oppose  by  force  of  arms 
the  sanguinary  rulers  of  their  country.  In  the 
mountain  fastnesses  of  Armenia  they  fortified 
themselves,  and  long  maintained  their  indepen- 
dence; but  after  a  tedious  and  harassing  warfare, 
theii*  stronghold  was  taken,  many  were  put  to  the 
sword,  and  a  remnant  of  this  onc5  nuiiierous  peo- 
ple found  on  the  banks  of  the  F^jphrates  a  refuge 
among  the  Saracens.* 

It  appears  that  a  colony  of  Paulicians  was  set- 
tled in  Thrace  about  the  middle  of  the  eighth 
century,  and  was  in  the  tenth  century  augmented 
by  a  large  reinforcement,  who  were,  by  the  Greek 
^emperor,  John  Zimisces.  granted  a  free  tolera- 
tion."^  In  the  eleventh  century  the  Greek  empe- 
ror, Alexius  Comnenus,  who  was  distinguished 
for  his  learning,  undertook  in  person  the  difficult 
task  of  bringing  over  to  the  orthodox  faith  the 
Paulicians  in  Thrace  and  Bulgaria.  He  went  to 
Philippolis,  their  chief  town,  and  spent  whole  days 
in  disputing  with  their  principal  teachers;  but  not 
content  with  the  arms  which  logic  and  rhetoric 
supplied,  he  held  out  tempting  rewards  to  those 

*  Gibbon,  ch.  54. 


38 

who  should  renounce  their  principles,  and  inflict- 
ed severe  punishments  on  the  unyiehling. 

In  order  to  avoid  the  persecution  of  the  Greek 
church,  or  with  a  view  to  disseminate  their  prin- 
ciples, many  of  the  Paulicians  of  Thrace  and  Bul- 
garia emigrated  and  spread  themselves  through 
several  countries  of  Europe.  Their  first  resting 
place  was  in  Italy,  whence,  in  process  of  time, 
they  sent  colonies  into  almost  all  the  other  pro- 
vinces of  Europe,  where  their  opinions  took  root, 
and  congregations  were  formed,  which  afterwards 
endured  the  most  severe  persecution  from  the 
Roman  pontiffs.  In  Italy  they  were  called  Pa- 
lerini  and  Cathari,  and  in  France,  Bulgarians. 

The  first  religious  assembly  which  the  Pauli- 
cians formed  in  France  was,  according  to  Mo- 
ehiem,  at  Orleans,  and  its  principal  members 
were  twelve  canons  of  the  cathedral,  men  emi- 
nently distinguished  by  their  learning  and  piety. 
These  canons  and  their  adherents  were  accused 
by  a  monk  of  holding  the  doctrines  of  the  Mani- 
cheans,  upon  which  a  council  was  held  to  try 
them,  and  they  were  condemned  to  be  burnt 
alive.  Dr.  Moshiem,  with  strange  inconsistency, 
calls  (hem  a  ''pernicious  sect;"  yet  he  informs  us 
that  *♦  even  their  enemies  acknowledged  the  sin- 
cerity of  their  piety,  although  they  blackened  them 
with  accusations  which  were  evidently  false." — 
He  says  they  were  "  a  set  of  mystics  who  looked 
with  contempt  upon  all  external  worship,  rejected 
aW  rites  and  ceremonies,  and  even  the  Christian 
sacraments,  as  destitute  of  any,  even  the  least  spi- 
ritual efficacy  or  virtue, — placed  the  whole  of  re- 
ligion in  the  internal  contemplation  of  God,  and 


39 

(he  elevation  of  llje  soul  lo  divine  and  celestial 
tliiiiijis;  and  in  llieir  philaso[)hical  speculations 
concerning  God,  the  Trinity,  and  the  human  soul, 
soared  above  the  ajje  in  which  they  lived.  A  like 
set  of  men  proceeded  in  vast  numbers  out  of  Italy 
in  the  fullowing  ages,  spread  like  an  inundation 
through  all  the  European  provinces,  and  were 
known  in  Germany  under  the  name  of  the  Breth- 
ren of  the  Free  Spirit,  while  they  were  distinguish- 
ed in  other  countries  by  the  appellation  of  Beg- 
hards." 

The  same  author  mentions  another  branch  of 
this  numerous  sect  who  were  converted  or  con- 
vinced of  thoir  alleged  errors  by  a  discourse  of 
Gerard,  bishop  of  Cambray  and  Arras,  in  the 
year  1030.  They  maintained  in  general  accord- 
ing to  Their  own  confession,  that  the  whole  of  re- 
ligion consisted  in  the  study  of  •practical  piety^ 
and  in  a  course  of  action  corformahle  to  the  Di- 
vine laws;  and  they  treated  all  external  modes  of 
worship  with  the  utmos-t  contempt.  Tiieir  par- 
ticular tenets  may  be  reduced  to  the  foUowinsf 
heads: 

1.  They  rejected  baptism,  and  more  especially 
the  baptism  of  infants,  as  a  ceremony  that  was  in 
no  re.-;pect  essential  to  salvation.  2.  They  re- 
jected, for  the  same  reason,  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  supper.  3.  They  denied  tlial  churches 
were  more  holy  than  private  houses,  or  that  they 
were  inore  adapted  to  the  worship  of  God  than 
any  otlier  place.  4.  Tiiey  affirmed  that  altars 
were  unworthy  of  any  marks  of  veneration  and 
regard.  5.  'i'hey  di.sa improved  of  the  use  of  in- 
cense and  consceiatcii  oil  in   reliuious  services. 


40 

6.  They  looked  upon  the  use  of  bells  in  churches 
as  an  intolerable  superstition.  7.  They  denied  that 
the  establishment  of  bishops,  presbyters,  deacons, 
and  other  ecclesiastical  dignities,  was  of  Divine 
tnstitution,  and  went  so  far  as  to  maintain  that  the 
appointment  of  stated  ministers  in  the  church  was 
entirely  unnecessary.  8.  They  affirmed  that  the 
institution  of  funeral  rites  was  an  effect  of  sacer- 
dotal avarice,  and  thai  it  was  a  matter  of  indif- 
ference whether  the  dead  were  buried  in  churches 
or  in  the  fields.  9.  They  looked  upon  the  volun- 
tary punishment,  called  penance,  so  o;enerally 
practised,  as  unprofitable  and  absurd.  lO./Fhey 
denied  that  the  sins  of  departed  spirits  could  be 
in  any  measure  atoned  for  by  masses,  the  distri- 
bution of  alms  to  the  poor,  or  a  vicarious  pen- 
ance; and  they  consequently  treated  the  doctrine 
of  purgatory  as  a  ridiculous  fable.  11.  They 
considered  marriage  a  pernicious  institution. — 
12.  They  thouglit  a  certain  sort  of  veneration 
was  due  to  the  apostles  and  martyrs,  but  consid- 
ered the  bodies  of  the  confessors  as  no  more  sa- 
cred than  any  other  human  carcass.  13.  'i'hey 
disapproved  of  the  use  of  instrumental  music  in 
religious  worship.  14.  "^J'hey  denied  that  the 
cross,  on  which  Christ  sufiered,  was  any  more 
sacred  than  other  kinds  of  wood,  and  refused  to 
worship  it.  15.  They  refused  all  acts  of  adora- 
tion to  the  images  of  Christ,  and  of  the  saints, 
and  were  for  having  them  removed  out  of  the 
churches.  16.  They  were  shocked  at  the  sub- 
ordination and  distinctions  established  among  the 
clergy. 


41 

II  is  remarked,  with  much  reason,  by  the  editor 
of  Mosliiem's  History,  that,  "The  11th  article,  as 
here  expressed,  in  relation  to  marriage,  is  hardly 
credible.  It  is  more  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
these  Mystics  did  not  absolutely  condemn  mar- 
riage, but  only  held  celibacy  in  higher  esteem,  as 
a  mark  of  superior  sanctity  and  virtue." 

'I'his  account  is  more  full  and  explicit,  with  re- 
gard to  the  religious  opinions  of  the  Mystics  of 
the  middle  ages,  than  any  I  have  met  with;  and 
corresponding  as  it  does  in  several  particulars 
with  the  opinions  attributed  to  the  Paulician  mar- 
tyrs, who  suffered  at  Orleans,  we  may  reasonably 
conclude  that  many  of  these  views  were  enter- 
tained by  the  kindred  sects  of  Cathari  or  Puritans, 
who  were  then  so  numerous  in  several  parts  of 
Europe. 

It  is  remarked  by  Hallam,  in  relation  to  the 
Catharists,  whom  he  styles  ''a  fraternity  of  Pauli- 
cian origin,''  that  "their  belief  was  a  compound 
of  strange  errors  with  truth;  but  it  was  attended 
by  qualities  of  h.  far  superior  lustre  to  orthodoxy, 
by  a  sincerity,  a  piety,  and  a  self-devotion^  that 
almost  purified  the  age  in  which  they  lived. ^^  *'It 
is  always  important  to  perceive  that  these  high 
moral  excellencies  have  no  necessary  connexion 
wiih  speculative  truths.'  The  same  author  ob- 
serves, that  in  tracing  the  revolutions  of  popular 
opinion,  he  is  inclined  to  attribute  a  very  exten- 
sive effect  to  the  preachirjg  of  these  iieretics. — 
'I'hey  appear  in  various  countries  nearly  during 
the  same  period;  in  Spain,  Lombardy,  Germany, 
Flanders  and  England,  as  well  as  France.  Thirty 
unhappy  persorys,  convicted  of  denying  the  sacra- 
4* 


nienls,  are  said  to  luive  perished  at  Oxford  hy  cold 
and  famine,  in  the  reigii  of  Henry  If.  In  every 
country  the  new  sects  appear  to  have  spread 
chiefly  among  the  h)\ver  people,  which,  wliile  it 
accounts  for  tlie  imperfect  notice  of  liistorians, 
indicates  a  more  substantial  influence  upon  the 
moral  condition  of  society  than  tlie  conversion  of 
a  few  nobles  and  ecclesiastics."  * 

The  Albigenses  of  Languedoc  are,  by  some 
authors,  considered  a  branch  of  the  Paulicians, 
and  by  others  they  are  identified  with  the  Wal- 
densea.  The  former  opirMon  Is  embraced  by 
Moshiem,  Gibbon,  and  llallam;  the  latter  by 
Jones  and    I'eyran. 

After  consulting  such  authors  as  are  within  my 
reach,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  expressed 
m  a  note  to  Moshiem's  account  of  this  sect  in  the 
thirteenth  century.  He  says  the  term  Albigenses 
is  used  in  two  senses,  of  which  one  is  general,  and 
the  other  more  confined.  In  the  n)ore  general 
and  extensive  sense,  it  comprehends  all  the  various 
kinds  of  heretics  (or  dissenters  from  Ihe  church 
of  Rome)  who  resided  at  that  time  in  Narbonne 
Gaul,  i.  e.  the  southern  part  of  France. 

The  term  Albigenses,  in  its  more  confined 
sense,  was  used  to  denote  those  heretics  who  in- 
clined towards  the  Manichean  system,  and  who 
were  otherwise  known  by  the  name  of  Catharists, 
Publicans  or  Paulicians,  and  Bulgarians.  This 
appears,  evidently,  from  many  incontestable  au- 
thorities, and  more  especially  from  the  Codese 
Inquisitionis  Tolosande,  (published  in  Lernberch's 

*  Hallam's  Middle  Agcb.'p.  506. 


i;3 

History  of  llie  Inquisition)  in  which  the  Albi- 
genses  arc  carefully  distinguished  from  the  other 
sects  that  made  a  noise  in  tijat  century.*  I  am 
therefore  obhged,  in  this  case,  to  dissent  from  liie 
opinion  expressed  by  Jones,  in  his  excellent  His- 
tory of  the  VValdenses,  who  considers  the  Albi- 
genses  as  a  branch  of  that  church.  I  am  the 
more  inclined  to  consider  the  Albi«;ensos  a  dif- 
ferent sect  from  the  circumstance  of  their  defend- 
ing themselves  when  attacked,  which  appears  not 
to  have  been  done  by  the  VValdenses,  so  early  as 
the  thirteenth  century.  Gibbon  says  it  was  in 
the  country  of  the  Abigeois,  in  the  southern  pro- 
vinces of  France,  that  the  Pauiicians  were  most 
deeply  implanted;  and  the  same  vicissitudes  of 
martyrdom  and  revenge  which  had  been  displayed 
in  the  neighborhood  of  liie  Euphrates,  were  re- 
pealed in  the  thirteenth  century  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rhone.! 

In  the  year  1163,  "a  synod  was  convened  at 
Tours,  a  city  of  France,  at  which  all  the  bishops 
and  priests  of  the  country  of  Toulouse,  in  Lan- 
guedoc,  were  strictly  enjoined  to  forbid,  under 
pain  of  excommunication,  every  person  from  pre- 
suming to  give  reception  or  the  least  assistance 
to  the  followers  of  this  heresy,  to  have  no  dealings 
with  them  in  buying  or  selling,  that  thus  being 
deprived  of  the  common  necessaries  of  life  they 
might  be  compelled  to  repent  of  the  evil  of  their 
way."  And  further,  ''  that  as  many  of  them  as 
could    be    found    should    be   imprisoned    by   the 

*  Moshiem's  Ecc.  History,  13th  century. 
•!  History  of  Decline  and  Fall,  chap.  hv. 


44 

Catholic  princes,  and  punished  wilh  the  furfeiture 
of  all  their  substance." 

Many  of  these  persecuted  peo[)le  having  fled 
into  Spain,  the  king,  Ildefonser?,  issued  a  severe 
and  bloody  edict  for  their  expulsion.  Notwith- 
standing the  severe  measures  adopted  to  expel 
thenj  from  France,  tfiey  continued  to  increase, 
and  in  the  "  year  1200,  the  city  of  Toulouse  and 
eighteen  other  prinri[)al  towns  in  lianguedoc, 
Provence  and  Daupliine,  were  fdled  with  Wal- 
denses  and  Alhigenses."  *  Finding  the  perse- 
cuting decree  of  the  synod  insuflicient,  the  Court 
of  Rome  proceeded  to  anathematize  the  Wal- 
denses,  Puritans  and  Paterines,  and  the  Catholic 
princes  were  called  upon  to  assist  the  bishops 
with  the  power  of  the  sword.  In  the  beginning 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  a  crusade  was  preached 
against  the  Albigenses,  and  the  soldiers  who  en- 
gaged in  this  "  holy  war"  were  promised  not  only 
the  plunder  of  their  innocent  victims,  but  a  ple- 
nary indulgence  fur  all  their  sins,  and  a  certain 
passport  to  heaven.  At  this  stage  of  the  proceed- 
ings a  discussion  was  proposed,  or  agreed  upon, 
in  which  umpires  were  chosen,  and  some  of  the 
pastors  of  the  Albigenses  engaged  in  arijument 
with  the  Pope's  legates,  and  others  of  the  Catholic 
clergy. 

VVhile  the  controversy  was  proceeding,  and 
Arnold  Hot,  on  behalf  of  the  Albigenses,  after 
making  an  eloquent  defence  of  their  doctrines, 
was  calling  on  the. Catholics  to  defend  themselves, 
it  was  announced  that  the  "army  of  the  crusaders 

*  Jones'  Church  History,  vol.  ii,  p.  113. 


45 

was  at  hand."  The  papal  farces  immediately 
proceeded,  with  warlike  weapons,  and  fire  and 
fagot,  to  put  an  end  to  the  controversy  wiiich  the 
arguments  of  the  priests  had  failed  to  decide. 

The  armies  employed  in  tiiis  service  by  Pope 
Innocent  III.,  destroyed  above  two  hundred  thou- 
sand of  the  Albigenses  in  the  short  space  of  a  i'ew 
months.  Raymond,  Count  of  Toulouse,  in  whose 
territories  they  chiefly  resided,  still  humanely  ex- 
tended to  them  his  protection,  vi'hich  drew  down 
upon  him  the  resentment  of  the  Pope,  who  issued 
a  bull  of  excommunication  against  him,  and  ab- 
solved his  subjects  from  their  oaths  of  allegiance. 
Raymond  not  being  intimidated  by  these  wicked 
measures,  an  army  of  one  hundred  thousand  cru- 
saders was  brought  against  him,  which  induced 
him  to  make  his  submission  to  the  Pope,  who  im- 
posed upon  him  the  most  humiliating  conditions. 
Notwithstanding  the  count's  submission,  the  im- 
mense army  of  the  crusaders  still  proceeded  with 
their  work  of  devastation  and  bloodshed.  Ray- 
mond had  a  nephew  by  the  name  of  Roger,  Earl 
of  Beziers,  who  took  up  the  sword  to  defend  him- 
self and  his  subjects.  His  capital,  the  city  of  Be- 
ziers, being  invested  by  the  enemy,  was  compelled 
to  surrender,  and  every  individual,  to  the  number 
of  twenty-three  thf^usand,  put  to  the  sword. 

There  being  many  Catholics  among  the  inhabi- 
tants, the  crusaders  hesitated  as  to  what  they 
should  do  with  them;  when  application  being 
made  to  the  Abbe  of  Cisteaux,  the  commander, 
he  replied,  "Kill  them  all,— the  Lord  knoweth 
them  (hat  are  his." 


46 

The  Earl  of  D<?zier3,  foreseeint;  the  result  of 
tlie  seitje,  made  his  escape,  and  withdrew  to  the 
city  of  Carcasorme.  Here  he  was  again  sur- 
rounded by  the  papal  army;  but  the  place  being 
strongly  fortified,  lie  was  enabled  to  defend  him- 
self, until  at  length  he  was  induced,  by  the  most 
solemn  oaths  and  promises  of  safety,  to  entrust 
himself  to  the  Pope's  legate,  in  order  to  negotiate 
a  peace,  when  he  was  treacherously  seized  and 
thrown  into  prison,  where  he  soon  after  died,  not 
without  exciting  strong  susjjicions  of  being  poi- 
soned. The  inhabitants  of  the  city  were  thrown 
into  the  greatest  consternation  by  the  loss  of  their 
leader.  "A  report,  however,  was  circulated,  that 
there  was  a  vault  or  subterraneous  passage  some- 
where in  the  city,  which  led  to  the  castle  of  Cab- 
aret, a  distance  of  about  three  leagues  from  Car- 
casonne,  and  that  if  the  mouth  or  entry  thereof 
could  be  found,  Providence  had  provided  for 
them  a  way  of  escape.  The  entrance  of  the 
cavern  was  fecund,  and  at  the  begini)ir)g  of  the 
night  they  all  began  their  journey  through  it,  car- 
rying with  them  only  as  much  food  as  was  deem- 
ed necessary  to  save  them  for  a  few  days."  "  It 
was  a  dismal  and  sorrowful  sight,"  says  their  his- 
torian, "  to  witness  their  removal  and  departure, 
accompanied  with  sighs,  tears  and  lamentations, 
at  the  thoughts  of  quitting  their  habitations  and  all 
their  worldly  possessions,  and  betaking  themselves 
to  the  uncertain  event  of  saving  themselves  by 
flight.  Parents  leading  their  children,  and  the 
more  robust  yiipp<<rting  decrepit  old  persons, 
and  especially  to  hear  ti'ic  afleetuig  lamentations 


47 

of  tiie  women."  They,  however,  arrived  the  fol- 
lowing day  at  the  castle,  whence  they  dispersed 
themselves  througli  various  provinces,  and  many 
sought  a  refuge  in  foreign,  countries. 

This  relentless  and  desolating  war  was  con- 
tinued, with  various  success,  for  a  period  of  twen- 
ty years;  and  it  has  been  estimated  that  a  million 
of  persons,  bearing  the  name  of  heretics,  were 
put  to  death.*  During  most  of  this  time  the  cru- 
sading army  was  commanded  by  Simon,  Earl  of 
Montfort,  who  succeeded  the  Abbe  of  Cistcaux. 
'J'his  nobleman,  with  the  approbation  of  the  Pope, 
claimed  all  the  possessions  of  Raymond,  the  Earl 
of  Toulouse;  but  the  latter  succeeded,  at  last,  in 
regaining  possession  of  his  capital  and  most  of  his 
territory.  On  his  death,  which  took  f)luce  in 
1221,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  the  young 
Count  Raymond,  who  soon  after  banished  the 
Inquisition  from  his  territory.  This  drew  upon 
him  the  wrath  of  Pope  Honorius  III.,  who  direct- 
ed his  emissaries  to  proclaim  another  ''holy  war," 
and  called  upon  Louis,  King  of  France,  to  assist 
in  crushing  the  Albigenses.  After  enduring  the 
horrors  of  a  cruel  and  desolating  war,  Raymond 
was  at  length  taken  by  treachery,  and  from  this 
period  the  Albigenses  ceased  to  exist  in  any  con- 
siderable numbers  in  France.  Those  who  escaped 
with  their  lives  fled  for  refuge  to  the  valleys  of 
Piedmont  and  other  places,  wherever  they  could 
find  an  asylum. 

After  one  of  the  terrible  conflicts  which  took 
place  in  the  crusade   against   the  Albigenses,  a 

*  Jones,  vol.2,  p.  149,  who  cites  Mede  on  the  Apocalypse 
and  Newton  on  the  Prophecies. 


48 

singular  disclosure  was  made,  which  throws  some 
light  upon  the  iiistory  of  those  times.  After  the 
battle  of  INIurat  there  was  found  among  the  slain, 
belon^MDg  to  the  Albigenscs,  a  knight  in  black 
armor.  "On  exaniinino-,  behold,  it  was  discover- 
ed to  be  Peter,  King  of  Arragon, — that  very 
monarch  who  had  formerly  been  engaged  in  ne- 
gotiating between  the  Pope's  legale  and  the  Earl 
of  Beziers.  'I'here,  also,  hiy  one  of  his  sons,  and 
many  of  the  Arragonian  gentlemen  and  vassals, 
who,  while  ostensibly  supporting  the  Ronian 
cliurch,  had,  in  disguise,  been  fighting  in  defence 
-of  4 he  Albjjrenses," 


49 


CHAPTER  III. 

History  of  the  Waldcnses  i}revions  to  the  Refor- 
mation. 

The  Waldenscs  or  Vauilois  were,  during  the 
middle  atres,  a  nuiDerous  people,  originally  settled 
in  the  Valleys  of  Piedmont,  but  afterwards  spread 
through  several  rialions  of  Europe.  We  learn 
from  the  letters  of  Jean  Rodolphe  Peyran,  one  of 
the  pastors  of  the  modern  Waldenses,  that  the 
term  used  in  that  country  to  designate  an  inhab- 
itant of  the  Valleys  is  Vaudes;  and  that  Vaudois 
in  the  French  and  Waldenses  in  the  Latin  are 
correspondintj  terms. 

He  says  they  should  not  be  considered  as  re- 
formed churches,  but  rather  as  evangelical  or 
apostolic,  because  they  have  never  been  connect- 
ed with  the  image  worship  of  Rome,  but  have,  on 
the  contrary,  protested  against  it  from  the  earliest 
ages. 

This  agrees  with  a  statement  quoted  by  Pey- 
ran from  a  French  historian,  who  says,  ''  those 
who  were  called  Manicheans,  and  afterwards 
Vaudois,  Albigenses,  and  Lollards, — and  who  so 
frequently  reappeared  under  a  variety  of  other 
names,  were  a  remnant  o{  the 'primitive  Christians 
of  Gaul^  who  were  attached  to  many  ancient 
usages,  which  have  since  been  changed  by  the 
court  of  Rome,  and  ignorant  of  many  opinions 
which  that  court  has  established  in  the  course  of 
5 


50 

ages.''  •'  For  instance,  these  primitive  Christians 
were  unacquainted  with  the  worship  of  images." 
It  is  very  remarkal)le  that  tliese  men,  almost  un- 
known to  ilie  rest  of  the  world,  i-hould  have  per- 
severed constantly  from  time  imnieinorial  in  cus- 
toms which  in  all  other  [)laces  have  passed  away. 
It  is  with  cu?tqms  as  will)  languages;  an  infinite 
number  of  ancient  terms  are  preserved  in  distant 
cantons,  while  in  the  capitals  and  large  cities  lan- 
guage varies  from  age  to  age.  The  people  in  the 
vicinity  of  Turin,  who  inhabit  the  caves  of  the 
Vaudois,  preserve  the  dress,  the  language,  and  al- 
most all  tiie  rites  of  the  age  of  Charlemagne.* 

The  antiquity  of  the  VValdensian  church  and 
some  of  its  distinguishing  tenets  are  incontestably 
proved  by  the  following  extract  frorn  a  poem 
called  La  Noble  Loicon,  written  in  the  old  Pro- 
vencal language  about  the  year  1100: 

Que  non  vogli  mandir  ne  jura,  ne  mentir, 
N'occir,  ne  avoutrir,  ne  preure  de  attrui, 
Ne  s'  avengeur  deli  suo  ennemi, 
Los  dison  qu'cs  Vaudes,  ct  los  feson  inoririf 

that  is,  whosoever  refuses  to  curse,  to  swear,  to 
lie,  to  commit  adultery,  to  steal,  to  be  revenged 
of  his  enemy,  they  say  he  is  a  Vaudois,  and  there- 
fore they  put  him  to  death. | 

There  is  also  abundant  evidence  in  Catholic 
writers  to  show  that  the  VValdenses  may  be  traced 

*  Nouvelles  Lettres  sur  Ics  Vaudois,  par  Jean  Ilodolphe 
Peyran,  p.  133. 

t  These  verses  are  quoted  in  Hallam's  Middle  Ages,  p. 
507,  with  the  orthography  somewhat  different. 

t  Jones,  C.  H.  ii.  27. 


51 

to  a  still  higher  antiquity.  Tlie  irujuisitor  Riene- 
rus  Sacco,  who  wrote  in  the  Ihirleenth  century, 
says,  "this  sect  is  ilie  most  ancient  of  all,  some 
j)er§pj%s  asserting  that  it  has  existed  since  the  time 
of  pope  Sylvester,  (A.  D.  33"))  and  others  tracing 
its  origin  even  to  the  time  of  the  apostles."* 

Claudius  Seissel,  archhishop  of  'J'urin,  in  a 
book  which  he  published  against  the  Vaudois  in 
the  year  1547,  says,  that  ''after  much  research 
he  finds  it  impossible  to  fi.\  the  exact  antiquity  or 
origin  of  this  sect;"  and  he  freely  acknowledges 
*'  that  there  is  great  reason  to  conclude  that  the 
sect  of  the  Vaudois  has  been  in  existence  many 
centuries,  because  all  sorts  of  people  at  various 
times  have  tried  in  vain  to  root  then)  out,  yet  in 
opposition  to  the  opinions  of  the  whole  world 
they  have  still  continued  unconquered  and  invin- 
cible." 

He  further  observes  that  the  Vaudois  or  Wal- 
denses  owe  their  origin  to  Leo,  a  pious  man,  who 
being  shocked  at  the  avarice  of  pope  Sylvester, 
(A.  D.  335)  and  the  excessive  donations  of  Con- 
stantine,  was  no  longer  willing  to  continue  in 
communion  with  the  bishop  of  Rome,  and  was 
followed  by  great  numbers  of  good  men.f  Froni 
this  cause  it  is  supposed  by  some  that  the  Wal- 
denses  were  formerly  called  Leonists;  but  by 
others  this  title  is  derived  from  Leo  of  Ravenna, 
who  protested  against  the  paf)al  power  in  the 
reign  of  Charlemagne.  The  inquisitor  Rienerus 
Sacco;|:  bears  witness  to  the  purity  of  their  morals, 

*  Peyran's  Letters,  p.  28. 

t  N.  Lettres  sur  les  Vaudois,  p.  '28.       Appendix  to  do.  154. 

t  N.  Leltres,  S.  V.,  p.  22. 


saying  that  lliey  lived  justly  before  all  men,  that 
they  had  good  sentiments  respecting  the  Deity, 
and  that  they  blasphemed  only  the  church  of 
Rome  and  the  clergy,  to  which  the  laity  wtllingly 
consented.  He  adds  in  another  place,  that  the 
Cathari  (or  Manicheans)  were  few  in  number, 
there  not  being  more  than  four  thousand  of  thein 
in  the  whole  world;  but  those  who  "are  sometimes 
called  Leonists,  and  at  others  Vaudois,  were  an 
infinite  number,  and  that  he  having  often  assisted 
to  examine  these  heretics  had  counted  forty-one 
of  their  schools  in  the  diocess  of  Padua,  and  ten 
in  Rubac  or  Clemma." 

I  shall  add  but  one  more  testimony  to  the  an- 
tiquity of  the  VValdensian  church,  which  is  that  of 
Malte  Brun,  the  celebrated  geographer. 

He  says,  in  his  description  of  Savoy,  "  twenty- 
two  thousand  Vaudois  residing  in  the  Valleys  of 
the  A\ps,  irho  for  at  least  twelve  centuries  have 
professed  a  worship  analag^ous  to  the  reformed 
religion,  bear  in  silence  the  privation  of  their 
privileges  as  citizens." 

Piedmont,  the  district  in  which  they  reside,  de- 
rives its  name  from  two  L^tin  words,  pede  mon- 
tivni,  signifying  the  foot  of  the  moimtain. 

It  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long  and 
ninety  broad;  and  bounded  on  tlie  nortii  by  the 
Valais,  a  canton  of  Switzerland,  on  the  east  by 
the  Milanese,  south  by  the  county  of  Nice  and 
territory  of  Genoa,  and  west  by  I'Vance.  It  con- 
tains many  lofty  mountains  belonging  to  the  chairs 
of  the  Alps,  and  enclosing  among  them  a  number 
of  fertile  and  secluded  vallies.  The  whole  coun- 
try is  "  an  intcrclmnge  of  hill  and  dale,  mounlairi 


5S 

and  valley,  traversed  with  four  principal  rivers, 
the  Po,  the  Tanaro,  tlie  Stura,  and  the  Dorii;  be- 
sides about  ei«rht  and  twenty  rivulets  urcnt  and 
small,  which  windinjj^  their  courses  in  diflerenl  di-. 
rections,  contribute  to  the  fertility  of  the  valleys 
and  make  them  resemble  a  watered  garden.''* 

Piedmont  contains  many  beautiful  and  fertile 
vallies,  where  the  smiling  verdure  of  meadows, 
and  rich  luxuriance  of  orchards,  are  strikingly 
contrasted  with  tiie  rugged  grandeur  of  the  sur- 
rounding mountains.  Some  of  the  vallies  are  so 
com})letely  encircled  by  steep  ridges  and  precipi- 
tous rocks,  as  to  be  only  accessible  by  narrow 
passes;  and  the  inhabitants  thus  shut  out  from  the 
world  are  defended   by  the  bulwarks  of  nature. 

It  has  been  remarked  by  an  intelligent  historian 
that  it  would  seem  "as  if  the  all-wise  Creator  had 
from  the  beginning  designed  this  place  as  a  cab- 
inet wherein  to  put  some  inestimable  jewel,  or  in 
which  to  reserve  many  thousand  souls  which  should 
not  bow  the  knee  before  Baal.'"t 

Tiie  Vaudois  formerly  occupied  a  large  portion 
of  Piedmont;  but  they  have  at  different  times  been 
driven  from  some  of  the  most  fertile  spots,  and 
they  are  now  principally  confined  to  three  of  the 
valleys,  Luzerna,  Perousa,  and  San  Martino,  in  the 
Province  of  Pinerolo.  "  The  present  population 
occupying  filleen  villages  or  parishes,  under  the 
care  of  thirteen  pastors,  whose  religious  duties 
extend  to  one  hundred  and  three  hamlets  annexed 
to  the  villages,  amounts  to  [about]  twenty  thou- 
sand souls,  besides  one  thousand  seven  hundred 

*  M.  Brun's  Geo.  vol  3.   Jones,  i.  426.   Peyran,  Int.  xvii. 
t  Sir  Samuel  Moreland's  Hist,  of  the  Churches  of  Piedmont. 
5* 


54 

Roman  Calhulics.-'^"  'I'he  villages  are  for  the  most 
part  situate  in  the  valleys,  the  hamlets  on  the  de- 
clivities of  mountains;  and  whilst  the  former  are- 
in  some  instances  surrounded  by  vineyards  and 
meadows,  the  latter  are  exposed  to  a  scorching 
sun  in  the  summer,  and  are  encompassed  in  win- 
ter for  some  months  by  deep  snow,  which,  while 
it  envelops  the  hamlets  in  its  white  mantle,  de- 
mands the  greatest  caution  on  the  part  of  the  in- 
habitants, as  it  fills  up  the  ravines  and  conceals 
the  precipices  from  view."! 

'J'he  inhabitants  of  these  valleys  are  generally 
poor,  frugal,  and  industrious.  In  many  places  the 
declivities  of  the  mountains  are  so  steep  that  they 
are  obliged  to  build  walls  to  support  the  soil,  and 
prevent  it  from  being  washed  down  by  the  heavy 
rains. 

They  have  to  break  up  the  ground  by  manual 
labor,  since  no  cattle  can  be  used  to  plough;  and 
they  are  compelled  to  carry  the  hay  and  corn  on 
their  backs,  and  thus  to  {)errorm  the  labors  which 
in  other  countries  are  assigned  to  beasts  of  bur- 
den. Thus,  by  means  of  unwearied  perseverance, 
they  succeed  in  gaining  a  scanty  subsistence,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  rye,  buckwheat,  and  chesnuts. 

Such  is  the  account  given  by  geographers  and 
travellers  of  the  condition  of  the  VValdenses'in  the 
present  century;  but  in  ancient  times  they  were  a 
much  more  numerous  people. 

There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  Wal- 
denses  were  entirely  separated  from  the  Catholic 
church  earlier  than  the  ninth  century,  although 

*  Int.  to  Poyran's  N.  Lcttres  siir  les  Vaudois,  xviii. 
t  Int.  to  N.  L.  v..  Peyran,  xix.  and  xxx. 


55 

they  denied  the  supremacy  of  the  po})C,  and  op- 
posed many  of  the  ceremonies  which  liad  been 
introduced.  In  tliis  respect  they  were  not  alone; 
for  we  find  that  "  nine  bishops  of  Italy  and  Swit- 
zerland, in  the  year  590,  rejected  the  communion 
of  tlie  pope  as  an  heretic;"  and  in  tlie  latter  part 
of  the  eiiihth  century  Paulinis,  bishop  of  the 
church  of  Aqulea  in  Italy,  opposed  the  papal 
usurpations,  and  condemned  the  decrees  of  the 
second  council  of  Nice,  whicii  had  established  the 
worship  of  images.* 

The  first  eminent  pastor  among  the  VValdenses 
of  whom  we  have  any  account  was  Claudius, 
bishop  of  Turin.  He  was  born  in  Spain,  and  liad 
been  chaj)lain  of  Lewis  the  Meek,  king  of  France 
and  emperor  of  the  West,  by  whom  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  tlie  bishoprick  of  Turin  in  the  vear 
817. 

He  was  celebrated  for  liis  knowledge  of  the 
scriptures,  and  began  to  preach  with  great  zeal 
against  the  superstitions  of  the  age,  such  as 
images,  relics^  pilgrimages,  and  crosses.* 

He  denied  the  supremacy  of  the  pope,  saying, 
*'  He  alone  is  apostolic  who  has  the  doctrines  of 
the  apostles,  and  not  he  who  boasts  of  sitting  in 
the  chair  of  the  apostle."! 

This  course  produced  a  great  clamor  among 
the  monks,  and  drew  upon  him  so  much  haired 
as  to  endanger  his  life;  but  he  still  continued  to 
labor  in  the  good  cause,  and  with  so  much  suc- 
cess, that  the  valleys  of  Piedmont  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Turin  were  filled  with  his  disciples. t 

*  Jones  C.  H.  i.  431.  t  N.  L.  Peyran,  p.  33. 


56 

It  is  stated  by  Catholic  writers,  that  the  VVal- 
(lenses  preserved  the  opinions  of  Claudius  in  the 
ninth  and  tenth  centuries;  but  there  is  no  record 
oftlie  exact  time  wlien  they  finally  separated  from 
the  Catholic  church. 

Although  the  church  of  Rome  was  then  sunk 
to  the  lowest  point  of  superstition  arnl  ignorance, 
tiie  papal  power  had  not  yet  acquired  that  des- 
potic sway  which  afterwards  enabled  it  to  tyran- 
nize over  the  consciences  of  men.  This  may  ac- 
count for  the  circumstance  that  Claudius  was  not 
excommunicated  or  put  to  death. 

'I'he  inhabitants  of  the  valleys  who  had  em- 
braced the  views  of  Claudius  continued  for  some 
years  after  his  death  to  live  in  peace  and  security, 
and  their  numbers  are  supposed  to  have  been 
augmented  by  immigration  from  other  districts. 
But  the  bishops  of  Milan  and  Turin  being  inform- 
ed of  their  numbers  and  prosperity,  bethought 
themselves  of  bringing  them  again  under  the 
yoke  of  clerical  authority. 

Accordingly  the  scaffold  was  erected,  and  the 
fires  of  persecution  were  lighted  at  Turin,  in 
order  to  compel  these  inoffensive  people  to  re- 
nounce their  opinions  and  embrace  the  Catholic 
ffiith.  Some  of  them  suffered  martyrdom,  and 
others  fled  from  persecution  to  sow  in  other 
lands  the  seeds  of  their  faith,  which  soon  sprung 
up  and  produced  an  abundant  increase  of  prose- 
lytes. 

About  the  year  1140  a  number  of  these  reputed 
heretics  were  discovered  near  Cologne  in  Germa- 
ny, who  appear  to  have  been  men  of  exemplary 
lives  and  pious  sentiments;  but  because  they  re- 


57 

jected  the  IraJitions  of  \Ue  cliurch,  and  exposed 
the  vices  of  the  clerijy,  they  were  seized  and 
burnt  to  death.  They  stated  tliat  great  numbers 
every  where  entertained  the  same  sentiments.* 

In  the  year  1159  a  company  of  about  thirty 
men  and  women  who  spoke  the  German  language 
appeared  in  England,  professing  similar  senti- 
ments, who  were  taken  up  and  through  the  insti- 
gation of  the  clergy  condemned  by  Henry  II,  to 
undergo  a  cruel  and  ignominious  punishment,  and 
then  to  be  turned  out  in  the  fields  destitute  of 
food  or  shelter,  where  they  died  of  cold  and 
hunger. 

In  the  year  1110,  Peter  de  Bruys  preached  the 
gospel  in  Languedoc  and  Provence,  and  great 
numbers  were  convinced  by  his  ministry.  After 
a  service  of  twenty  years,  he  too  suffered  martyr- 
dom. 

But  previous  to  this  time  a  considerable  body 
of  dissenters  who  bore  the  name  of  Paterines  ap- 
peared in  Italy,  in  the  cities  of  xMilan,  Modena, 
Ferrara,  Verona,  and  many  other  places.  They 
taught  that  "a  Christian  church  ought  to  consist 
only  of  good  people;  that  it  is  not  right  to  take 
oaths,  nor  to  kill  mankind;  that  faiih  Without 
works  will  not  save  us;  that  the  church  ought  not 
to  persecute  any,  even  the  wicked;  that  the  law 
of  Moses  was  no  rule  to  Christians;  that  there 
was  no  need  of  priests,  especially  wicked  ones; 
and  that  the  ceremonies,  orders,  and  sacraments 
of  the  church  of  Pvome  were  futile,  expensive,  op- 
pressive, and  wicked."!     The  Paterines  were  de- 

*  Jones,  i.  482.  t  Ibid,  i.  498. 


58 

cent  in  their  deportment,  modest  in  llieir  dress 
and  manners,  and  tlieir  morals  irreproachable. — 
They  were  not  eaaer  to  accumulate  wealth,  and 
avoided  commerce  because  it  ex[)osed  them  to 
temptation,  choosing  rather  to  live  by  labor  and 
useful  trades.  They  were  always  employed  in 
spare  hours  either  in  givinor  or  receiving  instruc- 
tion. Their  bishops  and  officers  were  mechanics, 
weavers,  shoemakers,  and  others,  who  maintained 
themselves  by  their  industry.  About  the  year 
1040  they  became  a  very  numerous  people  in 
Milan,  which  was  their  principal  residence;  and 
here  they  flourished  at  least  two  hundred  years.* 

In  the  twelfth  century  the  number  and  zeal  of 
the  Waldenses  were  much  increased  by  the  labors 
of  Peter  Waldo  of  I^yons,  a  celebrated  teacher  of 
religion,  who  has  by  some  writers  been  erroneous- 
ly considered  the  father  of  the  Waldcnsian  church. 
This  mistake  has  probably  arisen  from  the  coinci- 
dence of  names,  and  from  the  circumstance  that 
until  his  time  these  dissenters  had  remained  in 
comparative  obscurity. 

It  appears  that  about  the  year  1160  the  doc- 
trine of  transubstantiation  began  to  prevail  in  the 
Ro-nan  church;  that  is  to  say,  the  people  were 
taught  to  believe  ti)at  the  wafer  and  wine  conse- 
crated by  tlie  priest  and  eaten  by  the  people,  were 
the  identical  body  and  real  blood  of  Christ,  and 
not  tlie  mere  emblems  as  liad  been  formerly  be- 
lieved. 

When  this  new  doctrine,  which  was  first  broach- 
ed in  the  ninth  century,  become  fully  established, 

*  Jones,  i.  498.   Extracted  from  Robinson's  Ecc.  Res. 


59 

The  priests  and  people  bowed  down  and  worship- 
ped the  God  whowiis  thus  supposed  to  he  present 
in  a  corporeal  fDrm.  This  is  termed  the  saorilice 
of  the  mass,  and  tiie  bread  thus  worshipped  id 
called  the  host,  which  is  ollered  up  every  day  by 
the  papists  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin. 

When  Peter  Waldo  beheld  this  ceremony  he 
was  so  struck  with  its  absurdity  and  impiety,  that 
he  opposed  it  in  the. most  courageous  manner.  It 
is  stated  that  he  had  then  no  intention  of  separa- 
ting from  the  church  of  Rome,  nor  of  beconiing 
a  reformer;  but  a  circumstance  afterwards  oc- 
curred which  had  the  most  important  conse- 
quences in  ills  life.  *' One  evening  after  supper, 
as  he  sat  conversing  with  a  party  of  his  friends, 
one  of  the  company  fell  down  dead  on  the  floor, 
to  the  consternation  of  all  present."  This  evi- 
dence of  the  uncertainty  of  human  life  so  deeply 
affected  him,  that  he  could  not  escape  from  the 
convictions  which  overpowered  his  mind.  He  had 
recourse  to  the  sacre'd  volume  for  instruction  and 
consolation,  and  through  the  powerful  operation 
of  divine  grace  attained  to  the  saving  Unowledge 
of  God. 

At  that  time  there  was  no  translation  of  the 
scriptures  in  the  vernacular  tongues,  the  Latin 
Vulgate  Bible  being  the  only  one  known  in  Eu- 
rope, and  even  that  was  accessible  to  but  few. — 
Happily  for  Waldo  and  for  the  world,  his  educa- 
tion and  circumstances  enabled  him  to  surmount 
these  obstacles;  he  not  only  read  it  himself,  but 
he  caused  the  New  Testament  to  be  translated 
into  French,  and  thus  procured  for  the  common 
people  the  inestimable  treasures  it  contains. 


CO 

In  proportion  as  he  became  acquainted  with 
the  scriptures  he  perceived  more  clearly  the  mass 
of  superstition  and  idolatry  that  prevailed,  and  he 
hejran  to  preach  against  the  corruptions  of  the 
church  of  Rome  and  the  vices  of  the  clergy. 

Multitudes  (lot'ked  to  his  ministry  and  gladly 
received  the  word  of  Truth.  The  clergy  were 
incensed  at  this  boldtiess  in  a  layman,  and  alarm- 
ed at  the  prospect  of  their  craft  being  endanger- 
ed. Pope  Alexander  HI.  being  informed  of  these 
proceedings  anathematized  the  reformer  and  his 
adherents,  and  through  the  instigation  of  the 
priests  a  violent  persecution  was  stirred  up,  which 
compelled  Waldo- in  the  year  1163  to  quit  Lyons, 
and  disj^ersed  his  flock,  who  fled  into  different 
countries  carrying  with  them  every  where  the 
principles  of  their  faith,  which  took  root  and  mul- 
tiplied. Waldo  himself  settled  in  Dauphiny,  where 
he  preached  vviih  such  success,  that  great  nuuj- 
bers  embraced  his  doctrines,  who  were  afterwards 
denominated  Leonists,  Vaudois,  Albigenses  or 
Waldenses;  these  various  names  being  applied  in 
difl^erent  countries  to  people  professing  nearly  the 
same  doctrines. 

Being  still  persecuted  from  place  to  place, 
Waldo  retired  to  Picardy  and  from  thence  to 
Germany,  where  his  labors  were  attended  with 
abundant  success:  he  at  length  settled  in  Bohe- 
mia, where  he  finished  liis  course  in  the  year 
1179,  after  a  ministry  of  twenty  years.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  he  was  instrumental  in  raising  up, 
or  at  least  in  confirming  that  large  class  of  dis- 
senters known  by  the  names  of  Bohemian  Breth- 
ren and  Moravians.* 

'  Jones,  vol.  ii.,  13  and  31. 


01 

Numbers  of  the  followers  of  Waldo  fled  to 
Piedmont,  taking  with  them  liis  translation  of  the 
scriptures,  which  was  an  inestimable  gift  to  the 
faithful  VValdenses. 

There  is  abundant  evidence  to  prove  tliat  the 
VValdenses,  or  dissenters  professing  the  same  prin- 
ciples, spread  throughout  Europe;  and  that  great 
numbers  especially  of  the  poorer  classes  embraced 
their  principles,  although  in  doing  so  they  became 
exposed  to  the  severest  persecution  instigated  by 
the  monks  arid  priests  of  the  established  religion. 
In  the  valleys  of  the  Pyrenees  these  dissenters 
were  very  numerous,  and  they  were  found  in 
Spain  in  the  thirteenth  century,  where  vast  num- 
bers were  put  to  death  by  the  Inquisition. 

In  England  they  appeared  under  the  name  of 
Lollards,  who  were  the  precursors  of  the  VVick- 
liffites,*  so  called  from  the  celebrated  reformer 
John  Wickliffe,  the  first  person  who  translated  the 
scriptures  into  the  English  language. 

The  rapid  spread  of  these  doctrines  which  were 
denominated  "heresy,"  caused,  the  utmost  alarm 
at  the  court  of  Rome;  to  arrest  their  progress  the 
most  learned  doctors  of  theology  entered  into 
controversy  with  the  dissenters,  but  the  weapons 
of  logic  and  sophistry  were  found  to  be  powerless, 
when  opposed  to  the  plain  language  of  scripture 
and  the  conclusions  of  common  sense.  It  was 
then  determined  by  the  adherents  of  the  papacy 
that  as  the  work  of  extirpating  heretics  could  not 
be  done  by  argument,  it  must  be  accomplished  by 
physical  force;  and  to  effect  this  object  they  insli- 

*  Nouvelles  Lettres  sur  les  Vaudois,  p.  7. 
6 


62 

tuted  llie  "  Holy  Ofiice,'*  or  as  it  is  more  orer.e- 
rully  terrued  the  Inquisition,  the  most  terrible  en- 
gine of  oppression  that  human  depravity  ever  in- 
vented. This  fearful  tribunal  was  first  suggested 
by  Dominic,  a  Spanish  monk,  about  the  com- 
mencen»ent  of  the  thirteenth  century.  His  design 
was  approved  by  pof)e  Innocent  III.,  and  Dominic 
was  appointed  cliief  inquisitor.  The  Inquisition 
was  introduced  into  France,  but  soon  afterwards 
expelled  by  the  indijination  of  tlie  people.  In 
Italy  its  desolating  effects  still  continue  to  be  felt, 
but  in  Spain  and  Portugal  its  ravages  have  been 
most  revolting  and  destructive. 

In  liie  united  kingdoms  of  Castile  and  Arra- 
gon  there  were  eighteen  inquisitorial  courts,  each 
having  its  counsellors,  secretaries,  sergeants,  and 
other  officers;  and  besides  these  there  were  twen- 
ty thousand  familiars  dispersed  throuiihout  tlje 
kingdom,  who  acted  as  spies  and  informers. — 
"  By  these  familiars  persons  were  seized  on  bare 
suspicion,  and  in  contradiction  to  the  established 
rules  of  equity  they  were  put  to  the  torture,  tried, 
and  condemned  by  the  inquisitors,  without  being 
confronted  by  their  accusers,"  and  even  without 
being  informed  of  the  crimes  alleged  against 
them. 

Persons  of  the  most  infamous  character  were 
heard  as  witnesses  against  the  most  virtuous,  and 
the  zeal  of  fanaticism  was  invoked  to  induce  ser- 
vants to  depose  against  their  masters,  children 
against  their  parents,  and  husband  and  wife 
against  each  other.* 

*  Voltaire's  Univ.  Hist,  and  Jones'  Church  Hist. 


63 

The  sweols  of  domealin  lift;  were  destroyer], 
confidence  between  man  ami  man  was  at  an  end, 
and  a  jrloomy  and  ferocious  despotism  brooded 
over  the  land  which  has  changed  the  Spanish 
character  from  vivacity  and  buoyancy  to  distrust 
and  reserve,  and  h.is  reduced  a  nation  once  the 
most  powerful  in  Europe,  to  the  lowest  state  of 
degradation.  Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands 
of  the  most  virtuous  citizens  of  Europe  were  tor- 
tured and  destroyed  by  this  inhuman  tribunal. 
The  poor  Waldenses  in  France  and  Germany 
suffered  severely,  but  maintained  their  principles 
with  unshaken  constancy  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
excruciating  tortures,  when  stretched  on  the  rack, 
or  consuming  at  the  stake. 

At  this  time  the  Waldenses  of  Piedmont  en- 
joyed peace  and  security  under  the  paternal  gov- 
ernment of  the  Dukes  of  Savoy,  who  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  thirteenth  to  near  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  a  period  of  almost  three  hundred 
years,  resisted  all  the  efforts  of  the  clergy  to  in- 
troduce the  Inquisition  into  their  territories.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  establish  this  odious  tribunal 
in  Piedmont,  but  the  people^  who  had  heard  of 
its  cruelties  in  France,  rose  and  put  to  death  an 
inquisitor  who  had  been  sent  by  the  pope  to  esta- 
blish it.  In  Milan,  Naples,  and  Venice  similar 
attempts  were  made  and  resisted  by  the  people. 

About"  the  year  1330  the  Waldenses  in  several 
parts  of  Ciermany  were  grievously  oppressed  by 
an  inquisitor  named  Echard,  a  Jacobin  monk. 
This  persecutor  appears  to  have  been  more  sin- 
cere than  many  of  his  brethren;  for  after  inflicting 
great  cruelties  upon  his  unoffending  victims  he 


64 

wns  at  length  induced  to  examine  Ihe  reasons  for 
tlieii-  spparniion  frorxj  the  chnrch  of  Rome,  when, 
lH::inij  convinced  of  iheir  correctness,  he  acknow- 
lodijed  his  errors  and  joined  himself  to  these  per- 
secuted disciples  of  Christ. 

This  course  brought  upon  him  the  wrath  of  the 
other  inquisitors,  by  whom  lie  was  pursued,  taken, 
and  committed  to  the  flames.  ''  His  dying  testi- 
mony was  a  noble  attestation  of  the  principles 
and  conduct  of  the  Waldenses,  for  he  went  to  the 
stake  charging  it  upon  the  church  of  Rome  as  a 
monstrous  and  iniquitous  procedure  to  put  to 
death  so  many  innocent  persons,  for  no  other 
crime  but  their  steadfast  adherence  to  the  cause 
of  Christ."* 

Notwithstanding  the  persecution  they  endured, 
the  Waldenses  continued  to  increase  in  Germany, 
and  became  so  numerous  that  it  was  asserted, 
that  "  in  travellinfj  from  Cologne  to  Milan,  the 
whole  extent  of  Germany,  they  could  lodge  every 
night  with  persons  of  their  own  profession." 

Like  the  primitive  Christians  in  the  reign  of 
Trajan,  who  were  found  enduring  j)ersecution  in 
every  city  and  every  province  of  the  empire,  their 
numbers  would  have  been  suflicient  to  enable 
them  to  resist  the  malice  of  their  adversaries;  but 
their  peaceable  principles  forbade  them  to  rise  in 
arms  against  the  government.  About  the  year 
1370  a  colony  of  the  Waldensian  youth  of  Uau- 
phiny  sought  a  settlement  in  Calabria,  probably 
hoping  to  enjoy  without  molestation  their  religious 
privileges.     They   made  application   to  the   pro- 

*  Jones'  C.  H.  p.  156.     Perrin's  History,  C.  ii.  c.  ii. 


Of) 

prietors  for  land  to  nultivale,  which  being  grant- 
ed, they  speedily  enriched  and  improver)  their  re- 
spective districts,  and  by  their  industry,  probity, 
and  peaceable  manners,  grained  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  their  landlords  and  neighbors. 

The  priests  alone  were  dissatisfied.  They  found 
these  colonists  contributed  nothing  to  support  the 
church  by  masses  for  the  dead  and  other  popish 
ceremonies:  and  the  foreign  schoolmasters  who 
educated  the  children  of  these  strangers  were 
liighly  respected  and  preferred  to  themselves. — 
I'hey  signified  their  mtenlion  of  complaining  to 
the  pope,  but  the  gentry  resisted  and  remonstra- 
ted, until  they  found  it  expedient  to  relinquish 
their  purpose.  The  consequence  was  that  the 
Calabrian  VValdcnses  enjoyed  security  and  tolera- 
tion until  the  year  1560,  when  they  formed  a 
union  with  the  church  of  Geneva,  of  which  Cal- 
vin was  their  pastor.  The  persecutions  they  en- 
dured after  this  union  will  demand  our  notice  at  a 
subsequent  period.  During  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury the  Waldenses  continued  to  spread  through 
the  various  countries  of  Europe,  and  almost  every 
where  met  with  persecution  from  the  priests  and 
rulers;  but  their  doctrines  took  root  among  the 
common  people,  and  under  various  names  con- 
tinued to  be  maintained  till  the  time  of  the  Refor- 
mation. 

In  the  year  1457,  a  considerable  body  of  Bohe- 
mians who  dissented  from  the  established  worship 
were  permitted  to  settle  on  the  crown  lands  of 
Litiz  between  Silesia  and  Moravia,  where  they 
formed  a  religious  society  called  the  United 
Brethren.  Pious  persons  from  various  places, 
6* 


66 

nnd  arnonn  fliRtn  many  Walclenses  who  had  been 
driven  frcnn  their  homes,  joined  this  society,  which 
soon  became  a  flourishing  and  happy  community. 
Their  prosperity,  however,  soon  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  priests,  and  ihey  were  subjected 
lo  a  severe  persecution. 

Their  history  and  principles  are  recapitulated 
by  Robinson,  in  his  Ecclesiastical  Researches,  in 
the  followinjT  language: 

'♦  Authentic  records  in  France  assure  us  that  a 
people  of  a  certain  description  were  driven  from 
thence  in  the  twelfth  century.  Bohemian  records 
of  equal  authenticity  inform  us,  that  some  of  the 
same  description  arrived  in  Bohemia  at  the  same 
time,  and  settled  near  a  hundred  miles  from 
Prague,  at  Saltz  and  Launu,  on  the  river  Eger, 
just  on  the  borders  of  the  kingdom.  Almost  two 
hundred  years  after,  another  undoubted  record  of 
the  same  country  mentions  a  people  of  the  same 
description,  some  as  burnt  at  Prague,  and  others 
as  inhabiting  the  borders  of  the  kingdom;  and  a 
hundried  and  fifty  years  after  that,  we  find  a  peo- 
ple of  the  same  description  settled  by  connivance 
in  the  metropolis,  and  in  several  other  parts  of  the 
kingdom.  About  one  hundred  and  twenty  years 
lower  we  find  a  people  in  the  same  country  living 
under  the  protection  of  law  on  the  estate  of  prince 
Lichetenslein  exactly  like  all  the  former,  and 
about  thirty  or  forty  thousand  in  number.  The 
religious  character  of  this  people  is  so  very  difl^er- 
ent  from  that  of  all  others,  that  the  likeness  is  not 
easily  mistaken.  They  had  no  priests,  but  taught 
one  another.  They  had  no  private  property,  for 
they  held  all  things  jointly.     They  executed  no 


67 

offices,  and  neiihcr  exaclecl  nor  took  oaths.  They 
bore  no  arms^  and  rather  chose  to  suffer  than  re- 
sist wroritT.  They  held  every  thing  called  religion 
in  the  church  of  Rome  in  abhorrence,  and  wor- 
shipped God  only  by  adoring  his  perfections  and 
endeavoring  to  imitate  his  goodness.  They  thought 
Christianity  wanted  no  comment;  and  they  pro- 
fessed the  belief  of  that  by  being  baptized,  and 
their  love  to  Christ  and  one  another  by  receiving 
the  Lord's  supper. 

*'  They  aspired  at  neither  wealth  nor  power, 
and  their  plan  was  industry.  We  are  shown  how 
highly  probable  it  is  that  Bohemia  offered  them 
work,  was/rs,  and  a  secure  asylum;  which  were 
all  they  wanted.  If  these  be  facts,  they  are  facta 
that  do  honor  to  human  nature;  they  exhibit  in 
the  great  picture  of  the  world  a  few  small  figures 
in  a  back  ground  unstained  with  the  blood,  and 
unruffled  with  the  disputes  of  their  fellow  crea- 
tures." This  testimony  corresponds  with  the 
statement  of  Peyran  in  his  letters  concerning  the 
Waldenses,  who  considers  the  Brethren  of  Bohe- 
mia and  Moravia  as  a  branch  of  the  Waldenses, 
who  are  said  to  have  emigrated  to  Bohemia  in 
the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  main  body  of  the 
Waldenses  living  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont. 

After  having  enjoyed  the  protection  of  the  dukes 
of  Savoy  for  nearly  three  hundred  years,  they  were 
again  subjected  to  cruel  persecution  through  the 
instigation  of  the  clergy.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
fifteenth  century  pope  Innocent  VIII.  issued  a 
violent  bull  against  them,  in  which  he  directed 
Albert  de  Capitaneis,  archdeacon  of  Cremona,  to 


extirpnle  fhem.  nnfl  "to  trearl  Sliem  under  foot  as 
venomous  adders."  He  accordingly  proceeded 
to  the  south  of  France,  where  he  raised  an  army 
which  he  marched  to  the  valley  of  Loyze;  but  the 
inhabitants  fled  at  his  approach  and  concealed 
themselves  in  their  mountain  caves.  He  discov- 
ered their  retreats,  and  placed  qtinntities  of  woc>d 
at  their  entrances,  whicli  he  caused  to  be  set  on 
fire.  By  this  means  four  hundred  children  were 
suffocated  in  their  cradles,  or  in  the  arms  of  their 
dead  mothers;  and  multitudes  were  dashed  head- 
lonor  on  the  rocks  below,  or  butchered  by  the  sol- 
diery. On  this  occasion  more  than  three  thousand 
men,  women,  and  children  were  destroyed.  In  the 
year  1488,  he  advanced  with  an  army  of  eighteen 
thousand  men  to  attack  the  valleys  of  Piedmont, 
where  he  was  joined  by  many  of  the  Piedmontese 
Catholics,  who  were  allured  by  the  hope  of  plun- 
der, and  the  promise  of  having  their  sins  remitted 
for  so  meritorious  a  service.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  valleys  defended  the  narrow  passes  of  the 
mountains,  and  repelled  the  invaders.  The  duke 
of  Savoy  being  informed  of  these  proceedings  was 
touched  with  compassion  for  his  subjects,  who  sent 
him  a  deputation  explaining  the  motives  of  their 
conduct,  and  craving  his  protection.  "  He  accept- 
ed their  apology  and  forgave  them  what  had  pass- 
ed. But  having  been  informed  that  their  young 
children  were  born  with  black  throats;  that  they 
were  hairy,  and  had  four  rows  of  teeth,  with  only 
one  eye  and  that  placed  in  the  middle  of  their 
forehead, — he  commanded  some  of  them  to  be 
brought  before  him  at  Pignerol;  where  being  sat- 
isfied by  occular  demonstration  that  the  VValden- 


60 

ses  were  not  monsters,  he  blamed  liimsolf  for 
bein^  so  easily  imposed  upon  by  ihe  clergy  of  the 
Catholic  church  as  to  credit  such  idle  reports, 
and  at  the  same  ticne  declared  his  determination 
to  protect  them  in  the  possession  of  those  privi- 
leges which  had  been  allowed  to  their  ances- 
tors." 

Notwithstanding  the  duke's  good  intentions  to- 
wards them,  the  inquisitors  who  had  established 
themselves  in  a  convent  near  Pignerol  continued 
to  harass  them,  and  as  often  as  they  could,  lay 
hands  on  any  of  them,  delivered  them  over  to  the 
secular  power  for  punishment.    ^ 

As  we  are  now  approaching  the  period  of  the 
Reformation,  when  the  views,  or  at  least  the 
practice  of  the  Waldenses  were  in  some  respecta 
modified  by  their  connection  with  the  church  of 
Geneva,  it  will  be  proper  to  close  this  chapter 
with  a  brief  summary  of  their  moral  and  religious 
principles.  Voltaire,  in  his  Universal  History,  in 
speaking  of  that  branch  of  the  Waldenses  who  in- 
habited the  valleys  between  Provence  and  Dau- 
phiny,  says  they  cultivated  the  soil  with  such  in- 
defatigable industry,  as  to  reclaim  a  great  quanti- 
ty of  waste  land. 

He  says,  ♦'  in  the  space  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  their  number  increased  to  near  eighteen 
thousand,  who  were  dispersed  in  thirty  small 
towns,  besides  handets.  All  this  was  the  fruit  of 
their  industry.  There  were  no  priests  among 
them,  no  quarrels  about  religious  worship,  no  law 
suits;  they  determined  their  differences  among 
themselves.  None  but  those  who  repaired  to  the 
neio-hborintr    cities    knew   that    there   were  such 


70 

things  as  mass  or  bishops.  M'hoy  prayed  to  God 
in  their  own  jartjon,  and  heiiijT  contin»)ally  em- 
ployed they  had  the  happiness  to  know  no  vice. 
This  peaceful  state  they  enjoyed  for  above  two 
hundred  years  since  the  wars  against  the  Albi- 
genses,  with  which  the  nation  had  been  wearied. 

"  When  mankind  have  lonor  rioted  in  cruelty, 
their  fury  abates  and  sinks  into  lanjiour  and  indif- 
ference, as  we  see  constantly  verified  in  the  case 
of  individuals  and  whole  nations.  Such  was  the 
tranquillity  which  the  Waldenses  enjoyed  when 
the  Reformers  of  Germany  and  Geneva  came  to 
liear  that  there  were  others  of  the  same  persua- 
sion, as  tKemselves. 

♦'  fmmediately  they  sent  some  of  their  ministers 
(a  name  given  to  the  curates  of  the  Protestant 
churches)  to  visit  them;  and  since  then  the  Wal- 
denses are  but  too  well  known."*  What  the 
French  historian  means  by  their  being  too  well 
known,  refers  to  the  dreadful  persecutions  they 
endured,  which  will  be  related  in  another  chap- 
ter. 

The  moral  principles  of  the  Waldenses,  which 
1  consider  the  essential  part  of  Christianity,  ap- 
pear to  have  been  unimpeachable.  Even  the  in- 
quisitors who  persecuted  and  put  thoin  to  death 
acknowledged  the  spotless  purity  of  iheir  lives. 

There  are  sever.il  of  their  confessions  of  ftith 
extant,  which  were  prohahlv  drawn  Uf)  in  times  of 
persecution  to  vir)dicate  the/n  from  the  slanders 
of  their  enemies.  None  of  these,  however,  are 
earlier  than  the  twelfth  century,  nor  are  there  any 

*  Voltaire's  U  II.  ii.  p.  338. 


71 

writinos  of  llieirs  much  older.  From  the  most 
ancient  of  their  writings,  and  the  accounts  of  in- 
quisitors who  examined  them,  it  does  not  appear 
that  they  dissented  from  the  Catholic  church  on 
the  nature  of  the  Deity,  or  the  incarnatioti  of 
Christ.  It  is  probable  they  assented  to  the  Atha- 
nasinn  creed  established  by  the  first  council  of 
Nice  in  the  year  325,  and  gfenerally  adopted  in 
the  Western  churches  before  the  Waldenses  were 
known  as  a  separate  people. 

It  is  is  said  by  D'Aubigne,  in  his  history  of  the 
Reformation,  that  the  Vaudois  "contended  for 
iheir  lively  hope  in  God  through  Christ,  for  regen- 
eration and  inv/ard  renewal  by  faith,  hope,  and 
charity;  for  the  merits  of  Christ,  and  the  all-suffi- 
ciency of  his  cfrace  and  rijzhteousness." 

But  he  adds,  that  "this  primary  truth  of  the 
justification  of  the  sinner,  which  ougfht  to  rise 
pre-eminent  above  other  doctrines,  like  Mount 
Blanc  above  the  surrounding  Alps,  icas  not  suffi- 
ciently prominent  in  iheir  system. "^^ 

Thia  I  take  to  be  an  admission  that  the  doc- 
trine of  a  vicarious  satisfaction  was  not  insisted 
upon  by  the  Waldenses  as  it  now  is  by  some  of 
the  Protestant  churches. 

They  rejected  the  sacraments  of  the  Catholic 
church,  except  baptism,  which  they  administered 
to  adults  only,  and  the  Eucharist,  wh'\ch  they  con- 
sidered as  on\y  Jigurative  of  the  body  and  blood. t 
Their  doctrine  and  practice  with  regard  to  the 
Christian  ministry,  are  worthy  of  our  especial  at- 
tention. 

*  Voltaire,  vol.  i.  p.  71.  t  Jones'  C.  H.  vol.  ii.  p.  22.  Also, 
Preface  to  5th  London  ed.  p.  26. 


It  is  stated  by  Mosliiem,  that  they  denied  the 
supremacy  of  the  Roman  ponlifl",  and  maintained 
that  the  rulers  and  ministers  of  the  church  were 
obhged  by  their  vocation  to  imitate  the  poverty 
of  the  apostles,  and  to  procure  for  themselves  a 
subsistence  by  the  work  of  their  hands.  They 
considered  every  Christian  as  in  a  certain  mea- 
sure qualified  and  authorized  to  instruct,  exhort, 
and  confirm  the  brethren  in  their  Christian 
course.  "The  government  of  the  church  was 
committed  by  the  Waldenses  to  bishops,  presby- 
ters, and  deacons;  for  they  acknowledged  that 
these  three  orders  were  instituted  by  Christ  him- 
self." (The  bishops  were  called  majoroles  or 
elders.)  ''  But  they  deemed  it  absolutely  necessa; 
ry  that  all  these  orders  should  resemble  exactly 
the  apostles  of  the  divine  Saviour;  and  be  like 
them,  illiterate,  poor,  destitute  of  all  worldly 
possessions,  and  furnished  with  some  laborious 
trade  or  vocation,  in  order  to  gain  by  constant  in- 
dustry their  daily  subsistence."* 

Milton,  in  a  tract  entitled  "  Considerations 
touching  the  likeliest  means  to  remove  hirelings 
out  of  the  church,"  says  "  those  most  ancient  Re- 
formed churches  of  the  Waldenses,  if  they  rather 
continued  not  pure  since  the  apostles'  days,  de- 
nied that  tithes  were  to  be  given,  or  that  they 
were  ever  given  in  the  primitive  church,  as  ap- 
pears by  an  ancient  tractate  inserted  in  the  Bo- 
hemian history.  The  poor  Waldenses,  the  ancient 
itock  of  our  Reformation,  without  the  help  [of 
tithes]  bred  up  themselves  in  trades,  and  especial- 

*  Moshiem,  C.  H.  12th  cent. 


78 

ly  in  physic  and  surgery,  as  well  as  the  study  of 
scripture,  which  is  the  only  true  theology,  that 
they  niigjjt  be  no  burden  to  the  church,  and  after 
the  example  of  Christ  might  cure  both  soul  and 
body,  through  industry  adding  that  to  their  minis- 
try which  He  joined  to  his  by  the  gift  of  the  spirit. 
So  Peter  Giiles  relates  in  his  history  of  the  Wal- 
denses  of  Piednsont.  But  our  ministers  scorn  to 
use  a  trade,  and  count  it  the  reproach  of  this  age 
that  IradesrTien  preach  the  gospel.  It  were  to  be 
wished  they  were  all  tradesmen;  they  would  not 
then,  for  want  of  another  trade,  make  a  trade  of 
their  preaching;  and  yet  they  clamor  that  trades- 
men preach,  though  they  preach,  while  themselves 
are  the  worst  tradesmen  of  all."* 

This  testimony  of  Milton  is  corroborated  by 
that  of  the  learned  Jorton,  an  English  historian 
and  divine.  He  says  of  the  Waldenses,  "  they 
said  that  the  prelates  and  doctors  ou«»ht  to  imitate 
the  poverty  of  the  apostles,  and  earn  their  bread 
by  the  labor  of  their  hands.  They  contended  that 
the  office  of  teaching,  confirming  and  admonishing 
the  brethren  belonged  in  some  measure  to  all 
Christians.'"] 

It  appears  from  an  ancient  Catholic  writer 
quoted  by  Peyran,  that  women  as  well  as  men 
were  engaged  in  teaching  religious  truths.  He 
says  concerning  the  Vaudois,  "  men  and  women, 
small  and  great,  night  and  day  they  cease  not  to 
teach  and  to  learn."  "  By  day  the  laborer  teaches 
his  companion  or  learns  of  him;  and  at  night  all 
the  time  they  are  awake  they  are  employed  in  in- 

*  Jones'  C.  H.  ii.  87,  London  cd.    t  Jones,  ii.  89. 

7 


74 

•Iructing  one  an<jlher."  Peyran,  in  speaking  of 
certain  theologians  who  in  llie  eleventh  century 
had  been  instructed  by  an  Italian  woman  that  liie 
Eucharist  was  not  chani:ed  into  tiie  body  of  Jesus 
Christ,  savp,  1  leMve  yoti  to  judije  whether  thorc 
Whs  then  in  Italy  anotljer  |)lnce  besides  the  valleys 
where  wotncri  knew  tiiis  doclriiif,  and  were  able 
to  teach  it.* 

An  old  inquisitor  of  the  Catholic  chnrcli,  Rie- 
nerus  Sacco,  corroborates  this  view,  lie  |)ut3 
the  following  hingiiajre  into  tlie  niouihs  of  the 
Waldenses:  '' The  doctors  of  the  Kornan  church 
are  pompous  both  in  their  habits  and  manners; 
thev  love  the  uppermost  rooms  and  the  chief  seats 
in  the  svnairogues,  to  be  called  of  men  Rabl)i, 
Rabbi.  For  our  parts  we  desire  no  such  Rabbis." 
*'  They  fight  ami  encourage  wars,  and  command 
the  poor  to  be  killed  and  burnt,  in  defiance  of  the 
saying,  *  he  thai  taketh  the  sword  shall  perish  by 
the  sword.'  For  our  parts  they  {)ersecute  us  for 
righteousness'  sake.  They  do  nothing  l)ut  eat  the 
bread  of  idleness.  We  work  with  our  hands. — 
They  monopolize  the  giving  of  instruction,  and 
*  wo  be  to  them  that  take  away  the  key  of  know- 
lediie.'  But  among  us  women  teach  as  well  as 
men,  and  one  disciple  as  soon  as  he  is  informed 
teaches  another.  Among  tiiem  you  can  hardly 
find  a  doctor  who  can  repeat  three  chapters  of 
the  New  'I'estament  by  heart;  but  of  us  there  is 
scarcely  man  or  woman  who  doth  not  retain  the 
whole."  ^ 

•  Peyran's  Nouvelles  Leltres  sur  Ics  Vaudois,  p.  34. 
f  Jones'  C.  H.  ii.  p.  80. 


75 

Tlieir  itetirnony  conceniirijr  oaths  and  wnr  are 
tliijs  stated  Wy  Mi)sliiein:  '•  They  adopted  as  the 
MiotUd  of  tlieir  moral  di.^cijjline  ihe  sermon  of 
Chri>t  on  the  Mount,  which  they  interpreted  and 
explained  in  tiie  most  rigorous  and  literal  man- 
ner; and  consequently  proliibited  and  condemned 
in  their  society  all  wars  and  suits  at  l;«vv,  all  at- 
lempls  towar(ls  the  acqui>iiion  of  wealth,  the  in- 
fliction of  ca[)itHl  punishment,  self-defence  against 
unjust  violence,  and  oaths  of  ail  kinds.'"* 

Tliis  is  corroborated  by  Dr.  Jortin's  account  of 
them,  who  says,  they  interpreted  Christ's  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  according  to  the  literal  sense  of  the 
words;  and  they  condemned  war,  law  suits,  the 
acquisition  of  riches,  capital  punishments,  oaths, 
and  even  self  defence.!  In  further  confirmation 
of  these  views  the  well  known  testimony  of  the 
United  Brethren  or  Moravians  against  wars  of 
every  kind  may  be  adduced.  This  society  is  a 
branch  of  the  VValdenses  founded  in  the  year 
1457,  and  continues  to  bear  the  same  testimony 
to  this  day. 

In  one  instance  already  related  (in  1488)  some 
of  the  itdiabitants  of  the  valleys  defended  the 
mountain  passes  to  prevent  ihe  approach  of  an 
army  sent  to  destroy  the  Waldenses;  but  I  have 
seen  no  evidence  to  show  that  the  members  of 
the  Waldensian  church  in  any  instance  departed 
from  their  peaceable  principles,  previous  to  the 
time  of  the  Reformation. 

We  have  reason  to  believe  that  up  to  this  time, 
during  a  period  variously  estimated  at  from  seven 

*  Moshiem,  E.  II.  I9th  cent.         t  Jones'  C.  H.  ii.  89, 


to  twelve  centuries^  they  bore  a  faithful  testimony 
against  war;  and  althougii  they  sufl'ered  at  times 
from  persecution,  there  can  be  no  doubt  their 
sufferings  were  incomparably  less  than,  during 
the  same  period,  fell  to  the  lot  of  any  other 
people. 

In  order  to  estimate  the  temptations  to  which 
they  were  subjected,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
during  a  part  of  this  time  the  whole  of  southern 
Europe  was  ravaged  by  hordes  of  northern  bar- 
barians; and  that  at  a  subsequent  period  when 
the  spirit  of  chivalry  prevailed,  the  world  resound- 
ed with  the  clang  of  arras,  a  crusading  phrenzy 
seized  upon  the  people,  and  the  dignitaries  of  the 
established  church  aj)peared  as  the  leaders  of  in- 
vading armies. 


77 


CHAPTER    IV. 

History  of  the  WalJenses  since  the  I^rformation. 

It  has  been  very  generally  supposed  that  when 
Luther  began  to  preach  against  indulgences,  near- 
ly the  whole  population  of  Europe  was  completely 
devoted  to  the  doctrines  and  worship  of  the  church 
of  Rome.  This  may  have  been  apparently  the 
case  on  the  surface  of  society,  but  doubtless  there 
was  a  deep  under  current,  which,  though  almost 
unobserved,  was  sweeping  silently  and  powerfully 
onwards.  Hence,  the  Reformers  found  an  answer 
to  their  appeals  in  the  hearts  of  their  hearers,  for 
the  work  to  which  they  were  called  had  been  pre- 
pared before  them,  and  the  fields  were  already 
white  unto  harvest. 

This  preparation  had  been  greatly  promoted 
by  the  labors  of  the  Waldenses  and  other  kindred 
societies,  who  were  then  very  numerous,  and  had 
been  scattered  by  persecution  throughout  all  the 
nations  of  Europe.  In  the  year  1530,  George 
Morel,  one  of  the  pastors  of  the  Waldenses,  pub- 
lished  memoirs  of  the  history  of  their  churches, 
in  which  "he  states  that  at  the  time  he  wrote, 
there  were  above  eight  hundred  thousand  profess- 
mg  the  religion  of  the  Waldenses;  nor  Vv-ill  this 
appear  incredible  when  we  reflect  that  nearly  two 
centuries  before  there  were  80,000  of  them  in  the 
small  kingdom  of  Bohemia.* 

»  Jones'  C.  H.,  ii.  236. 


78 

At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  the 
pontifical  chair  was  filled  by  Alexander  VI.,  who 
has  been  called  the  Nero  of  the  papal  throne.  A 
more  odious  compound  of  vice  and  hypocrisy  has 
seldom  been  exhibited  before  the  world;  and  his 
son,  Csesar  Borgia,  whom  he  promoted  to  a  high 
office  in  the  church,  was  not  less  noted  for  his 
profligate  morals  and  vindictive  temper,  which 
rendered  him  a  terror  to  the  Roman  people.  Al- 
exander VI.  died  in  1503,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Julius  II.,  who,  after  a  reign  of  three  years,  died 
and  was  succeeded  by  Leo  X.,  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous,  if  not  the  most  exemplary  charac- 
ters, of  the  sixteenth  century. 

He  was  a  munificent  patron  of  learning  and 
the  fine  arts,  easy  and  amiable  in  his  temper, 
profuse  in  his  expenditures,  and  not  over  scrupu- 
lous in  the  means  he  adopted  to  replenish  his 
treasury.  His  taste  for  magnificent  display  in- 
duced him  to  put  in  requisition  every  means  of 
raising  money  that  had  been  devised  by  papal 
avarice;  among  the  rest,  the  sale  of  indulgences 
was  carried  to  a  shameful  extent,  and  became  the 
means  of  opening  the  eyes  of  many  to  see  the  cor- 
ruptions of  an  apostate  church. 

How  great  soever  the  crimes  committed,  or  in 
contemplation,  by  any  member  of  the  church,  all 
that  was  requisite,  in  order  to  obtain  absolution, 
was  the  purchase  of  an  indulgence.  Tetzel,  (a 
Dominican  monk)  the  celebrated  vender  of  indul- 
gences in  Germany,  exclaimed  in  the  ears  of  the 
people,  "  Draw  near,  and  I  will  give  you  letters 
duly  sealed,  by  which  even  the  sins  you  shall 
hereafter  desire  to  commit  shall  be  all  forgiven 


79 

you.  I  would  not  exchange  my  privileges  for 
those  of  St.  Peter  in  heaven,  for  I  have  saved 
more  souls  with  my  indulgences  than  he  with  hia 
sermons." 

"  The  very  moment  that  the  money  clinks 
against  the  bottom  of  the  chest,  the  soul  escapes 
from  purgatory  and  flies  free  to  heaven."*  Luther 
was  at  this  time  a  young  Augustine  monk,  full  of 
zeal  for  the  Catholic  church,  "  so  infatuated  and 
steeped  in  the  Romish  doctrines,"  said  he,  "  that 
I  would  willingly  have  helped  to  kill  any  one 
who  had  the  audacity  to  refuse  the  smallest  act 
of  obedience  to  the  Pope." 

But  he  was  sincere;  and  when  persons  came 
to  his  confessional  and  acknowledged  themselves 
guilty  of  the  grossest  crimes,  he  required  them  to 
repent  and  promise  to  reform  before  he  could 
grant  them  absolution.  When  they  refused  to 
make  such  promises,  and  showed  him  the  indul- 
gences they  had  purchased,  he  was  shocked  and 
grieved  at  this  abominable  traffic  in  the  souls 
of  men,  and  did  not  scruple  to  declare  his  abhor- 
rence. 

This  coming  to  the  ears  of  Tetzel,  he  became 
furious  with  rage,  and  declared  from  the  pulpit 
that  he  was  ordered  by  the  Pope  to  burn  the  here- 
tics who  should  dare  to  oppose  his  most  holy  in- 
dulgences. "  Such  was  the  incident  that  gave 
occasion  to  the  Reformation,  though  not  the  cause 
of  it.'"'t 

Luther,  being  singled  out  as  an  object  of  attack 
by  the  venders  of  indulgences,  was  induced  to  ex- 

*  D'Aubigne,  History  of  Reformation,  i.  212.   t  lb.  i.  231. 


80 

amine  more  closely  the  doctrines  and  practices  of 
the  church,  many  of  which  lie  found  to  be  incon- 
sistent with  the  plain  letter  of  scripture  and  the 
dictates  of  sound  reason,  as  well  as  inimical  to 
the  best  interests  of  society.  He  was  gradually 
led  to  see  the  necessity  of  a  thorough  reform;  but 
finding  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  hierarchy 
to  listen  to  liis  views,  there  was  no  alternative  left 
him  but  unconditional  submission,  or  a  rupture 
with  the  church.  He  knew  the  dangers  that 
awaited  him  if  unsuccessful; — he  was  fully  ap- 
prized  that  tliousands  of  Christian  martyrs  had 
died  in  prison  or  perished  in  the  flames  for  daring 
to  question  the  infallibility  of  the  Popes  and  the 
decrees  of  the  councils.  With  undaunted  cour- 
age, and  a  firm  reliance  upon  Divine  Providence, 
he  went  forward  boldly  in  the  work  of  reform, 
which  shook  the  foundation  of  the  Papacy,  and 
embroiled  in  a  sanguinary  conflict  some  of  the 
principal  nations  of  Europe. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  treatise  to  enter 
into  the  particulars  of  that  eventful  contest,  but 
reference  is  made  to  it  here  on  account  of  the 
close  connexion  which  afterwards  took  place  be- 
tween the  Reformed  churches  and  those  of  the 
Waldenses. 

It  is  probable  that  Luther,  when  he  commenced 
his  arduous  labors,  was  not  aware  of  the  true 
character,  nor  of  the  numbers  of  the  Waldenses 
and  other  dissenters  from  the  church  of  Rome. 
Their  adherents  in  Germany  were  not  among  the 
rich  or  the  learned,  but  generally  lived  in  obscu- 
rity, and  found  in  the  consolations  of  religion  the 
solace  of  their  lives.     They  must  have  rejoiced 


81 

greatly  at  the  boldness  and  success  with  w  hich 
he  attacked  time-honored  abuses  and  exposed  the 
mischiefs  of  priestly  domination;  and  it  must 
have  been  equally  rejoicing  to  the  heart  of  the 
intrepid  Reformer  when  he  found  so  many  thou- 
sands responding  to  his  call,  and  spreading  far 
and  wide  the  truths  which  he  taught. 

But  although  it  afforded  joy  and  encourage- 
ment to  the  Waldenses,  to  be  informed  of  the  la- 
bors of  Luther  and  his  associates,  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  they  made  any  advances  towards  a 
union  with  the  Reformers  till  the  year  1530,  be- 
ing thirteen  years  after  the  Reformation  com- 
menced. At  this  time  a  deputation  from  the 
Waldensian  churches  of  Provence  visited  Swit- 
zerland and  Germany,  and  had  an  interview 
with  the  Reformers  CEcolampadius,  Bucer  and 
Hallar.  This  led  to  a  correspondence,  and  in 
the  year  1540  a  union  took  place,  or  at  least, 
teachers  of  religion  from  Germany  were  received 
by  the  Waldensian  churches  in  the  south  of 
France,  which  led  to  the  most  disastrous  conse- 
quences. This  portion  of  their  history  I  will  re- 
late in  the  words  of  a  Roman  Catholic  loriter  of 
undoubted  credit.       ^^ 

"When  the  inhabitants  of  Merindole  and  Cab- 
riare,  at  the  report  of  those  things  which  were 
done  in  Germany,  lifted  up  their  crests,  and  hir- 
ing teachers  out  of  Germany,  discovered  themselves 
more  manifestly  than  they  had  done  before,  they 
were  brought  to  judgment  by  the  Parliament  of 
Aix,  at  the  instance  of  the  King's  Procurator;  but 
being  admonished  by  their  friends,  and  deterred 
by  the   danger  that   undoubtedly  attended   their 


82 

trial,  they  failed  to  appear.  And  having  been 
summoned  for  three  market-days  together,  they 
were  condemned  as  contumacious  by  a  most  hor- 
rible and  immeasurably  cruel  sentence,  on  the 
18th  of  November,  about  the  year  1540.  By 
that  decree  the  fathers  of  families  were  condemn- 
ed to  the  flames,  and  the  estates,  wives,  children, 
and  servants  of  the  condemned  parties  confiscated 
to  the  use  of  the  treasury.  And  because  Merin- 
dole  had  hitherto  been  the  usual  den  and  recep- 
tacle of  such  sort  of  infected  persons,  it  was  or- 
dered that  all  the  houses  should  be  laid  level  with 
the  ground;  that  the  subterranean  caves  and 
vaults,  where  they  might  be  concealed,  should 
be  demolished  and  filled  up;  that  the  wood  round 
about  it  should  be  cut  down,  and  even  the  very 
trees  of  the  gardens;  that  the  possessions  of  those 
who  dwelt  in  Merindole  should  not  be  so  much  as 
let  for  the  future  to  any  of  the  same  family,  or 
even  of  the  same  name  with  the  former  owners." 
The  execution  of  this  cruel  decree  was  delayed 
for  awhile,  and  on  application  to  the  King  of 
France,  he  ordered  his  lieutenant  general,  in 
Piedmont,  to  inquire  into  it.  Accordingly,  after 
due  inquiry,  he  made  this  discovery:  that  the 
Vaudois  or  Waldenses  were  a  people  who  about 
three  hundred  years  before  had  hired  of  the 
owners  a  rocky  and  uncultivated  part  of  the 
country,  which,  by  dint  of  pains  and  constant  til- 
lage, they  had  rendered  productive  of  fruits  and 
fit  for  cattle;  that  they  were  extremely  patient  of 
labor  and  want;  abhorring  all  contentions, — kind 
to  the  poor;  tiiat  they  paid  the  prince's  taxes  and 
their  lord's  dues  with  the  greatest  exactness  and 


88 

fidelity;  that  lliey  kept  up  a  show  of  Divine  wor- 
ship by  daily  prayer  and  innocence  of  manners, 
but  seldom  came  to  the  churches  of  the  saints, 
unless  by  chance,  when  they  went  to  the  neigh- 
boring  towns  for  traffic  or  other  business;  and 
whenever  tliey  set  tlieir  feet  in  them,  they  paid 
no  adoration  to  tiie  statues  of  God  or  the  saints, 
nor  brought  them  any  tapers  or  other  presents; 
nor  ever  entreated  the  priests  to  say  mass  for 
them,  or  the  souls  of  their  relations;  nor  crossed 
their  foreheads,  as  is  the  manner  of  others;  that 
when  it  thundered  they  never  sprinkled  them- 
selves with  holy  water,  but  lifting  up  their  eyes 
to  heaven  implored  the  assistance  of  God;  that 
they  never  made  religious  pilgrimages,  nor  un- 
covered their  heads  in  the  public  ways  before  the 
crucifixes;  that  they  performed  their  worship  in 
a  strange  manner  and  in  the  vulgar  tongue;  and 
lastly,  paid  no  honor  to  the  Pope  or  the  bishops, 
but  esteemed  some  select  persons  of  their  own 
number  as  priests  and  doctors. 

When  this  report  was  made  to  Francis  he  de- 
spatched an  arret  to  the  Parliament  of  Aix,  par- 
doned all  past  crimes,  and  allowed  the  Waldenses 
three  months,  within  which  they  were  required 
publicly  to  revoke  their  opinions.  This  respite 
was  further  extended  by  the  King,  but  he,  at 
length,  having  received  false  reports  concerning 
them,  and  "  being  instigated  by  the  Cardinal  de 
Tournou,  a  bitter  enemy  to  this  sort  of  men,  sent 
letters  to  the  Parliament  in  January,  1545,  where- 
by he  permitted  them  to  proceed  against  the  Me- 
randolians  and  other  Waldenses  according  to 
law."    The  States  of  the  Empire,  by  their  letters 


84 

from  Ratisbon.  and  the  Protestant  Swiss  Cantons, 
interceded  on  their  behalf;  but  the  King  was  in- 
exorable, and  a  military  force  under  John  Meinier, 
an  enemy  of  the  Waldenses,  was  sent  to  execute 
the  cruel  decree. 

The  most  revolting  scenes  of  cruelty  and  out- 
rage were  perpetrated  by  the  soldiers;  many  of 
the  inhabitants  who  fled  with  their  women  and 
cliildren  were  pursued  and  slain;  twenty-three 
villages  were  destroyed  and  their  inhabitants 
massacred. 

The  King,  afterwards,  regretted  these  cruel 
measures,  and  "  among  the  last  commands  he 
gave  to  his  son  Henry,  he  added  this  expressly — 
that  he  should  make  inquisition  into  the  injuries 
done  in  that  cause  by  the  Parliament  of  Aix  to 
the  Provencals;  and  even  before  he  died,  he 
caused  John  Romano,  a  monk,  to  be  apprehend- 
ed, and  commanded  the  Parliament  of  Aix  to 
punish  him;  for  he,  in  the  examination  of  here- 
tics, invented  a  new^  kind  of  torture,  ordering  the 
tortured  parties  to  put  on  boots  full  of  boiling  tal- 
low, and  after  laughing  at  them  and  clapping  on 
a  pair  of  spurs,  he  would  ask  them  whether  they 
were  not  finely  equipped  for  a  journey.*'  * 

Fifteen  years  after  these  horrid  transactions  in 
the  south  of  France,  that  is,  in  the  year  1.560,  the 
Waldenses  in  Calabria,  a  district  in  the  southern 
extremity  of  Italy,  "formed  a  junction  with  Cal- 
vin's church  at  Geneva.  The  consequence  of 
this  was,  that  several  pastors  or  public  teachers 
went  from  the  neighborhood  of  Geneva  to  settle 

*Thuani  Hisitoria  sui  temporis,  lib.  vi.,  quoted  by  Jonw. 


B5 

With  the  cliurc'lies  of  Calabria.'"  *  This  spread 
an  alarm  among  the  Catholics,  which  reached 
the  ears  of  the  Pope,  Pious  IV.  Measures  were 
therefore  undertaken  for  wholly  exterminating 
the  Waldenses  in  that  quarter,  which  in  enormity 
have  seldom  been  exceeded.  Two  monks  were 
first  sent  to  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Xist,  who  as- 
sembled the  people  and  by  a  smooth  harangue 
endeavored  to  persuade  them  to  desist  from  hear- 
ing these  new  teachers,  whom  they  knew  they 
had  lately  received  from  Geneva. 

Instead  of  complying,  however,  the  Waldenses 
forsook  their  houses,  and  as  many  as  were  able 
fled  to  the  woods  with  their  wives  and  children. 
Two  companies  of  soldiers  were  instantly  ordered 
to  pursue  them,  who  hunted  them  like  wild  beasts, 
crying  "Amassa  !  Amassa  !"  that  is,  kill,  kill, — 
and  numbers  were  put  to  death. 

Such  as  reached  the  tops  of  the  mountains  ob- 
tained the  privilege  of  being  heard  in  their  own 
defence.  They  expostulated  with. their  pursuers, 
referred  to  their  harmless  and  irreproachable 
lives,  and  begged,  if  they  could  not  be  permitted 
to  remain  unmolested,  they  might  at  least  be  per- 
mitted to  retire  from  the  country  with  their  wives 
and  children;  but  stated,  that  if  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  defending  themselves,  they  must  do 
it  at  the  peril  of  those  who  forced  them  to  such 
extremities.  This  expostulation  only  exasperated 
the  soldiers,  who  immediately  rushing  upon  them 
in  the  most  impetuous  manner — a  "terrible  affray 
ensued,  in  which  several  lives  were  lost,  and  the 
military  at  last  put  to  flight." 

♦Jones,  C.  H.,  ii.  296. 
8 


86 

The  Inquisitors,  on  this,  wrote  to  the  Viceroy 
of  Naples  for  more  soldiers,  who  cheerfully  com- 
plied. Proclamation  was  made  throughout  the 
kingdom  of  Naples,  inviting  persons  to  come  to 
the  war  against  the  heretics. 

The  fugitives  in  the  mountains  were  hunted 
and  slain,  the  villages  destroyed,  some  of  the  in- 
habitants condemned  to  the  gallies,  many  slain 
and  their  wives  and  children  sold  or  put  to  death. 
One  of  their  pastors  died  in  prison  from  starva- 
tion; another,  named  Lewis  Pascal,  was  taken  to 
Rome  and  burnt  in  presence  of  the  Pope  and  car- 
dinals. "  Such  was  the  end  of  the  Waldenses  of 
Calabria,  who  were  wholly  exterminated." 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  main  body 
of  the  VValdenses,  inhabiting  the  valleys  of  Pied- 
mont. We  have  seen  that  in  the  year  1488  they 
were  attacked  by  an  army  led  by  Abert  de  Cape- 
tain,  Archdeacon  of  Cremona,  who  was  author- 
ized by  a  papal  bull  to  destroy  them.  They 
were,  however,  taken  under  the  protection  of  the 
Duke  of  Savoy,  who  saved  them  from  extermina- 
tion, but  could  not  prevent  the  Inquisitors  from 
harassing  them  by  putting  to  death  some  who 
travelled  beyond  their  own  districts,  and  came 
within  the  reach  of  their  officers.  This  state  of 
things  continued  till  about  the  time  of  the  Refor- 
mation, at  the  commencement  of  which,  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Inquisitors  being  drawn  towards  Ger- 
many and  Switzerland,  the  Waldenses  enjoyed  a 
season  of  repose,  which  lasted  about  thirty-eight 
years,  until  they  formed  a  union  with  the  Re- 
formers, or  became  so  far  identified  with  them  as 
to  excite  anew  the  jealousy  of  the  Catholics,  when 


87 

they  were  again  subjected  to  a  fiery  persecution. 
This  part  of  their  history  I  will  relate  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  continuator  of  Sleidan's  History  of 
the  Reformation.  "This  people,  about  the  year 
1555,  had  embraced  the  Beformatlon  and  had  svf- 
fered  it  to  he  puhUcly  p?'eached,  though  it  was  for- 
bidden  by  the  Council  of  Turin,  which,  the  year 
following,  sent  one  of  its  own  members  to  inquire 
after  the  offenders  and  to  punish  them;  to  whom 
the  inhabitants  delivered  the  confession  of  their 
faith,  declaring  that  they  professed  the  doctrine 
contained  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  and 
comprehended  in  the  apostles'  creed,  and  admit- 
ted the  sacraments  instituted  by  Christ,  and  the 
ten  commandments,"  &c.  "  On  this,  a  solemn 
deputation  was  appointed  concerning  the  sacri- 
fice of  the  mass,  .auricular  confession,  tradition, 
prayers  and  oblations  for  the  dead,  and  the  cere- 
monies of  the  church  and  her  censures,  all  which 
they  rejected,  alledging  that  they  were  human 
inventions  and  contrary  to  the  word  of  God." 

This  confession  was  sent  by  the  Duke  of  Savoy 
to  the  King  of  France,  who,  about  a  year  after, 
returned  an  answer,  that  he  had  caused  it  to  be 
examined  by  learned  divines,  who  had  all  con- 
demned it  as  erroneous  and  contrary  to  true  reli- 
gion; and  therefore  the  King  commanded  them 
to  reject  the  confession  and  submit  to  the  holy 
church  of  Rome,  and  if  they  did  not  do  so  their 
persons  and  estates  should  be  confiscated.  But 
they,  on  the  contrary,  were  resolved  to  stand  by 
their  former  confession.  They  were,  therefore, 
commanded  not  to  admit  any  teacher  who  was 
not    sent   by   the   Archbislwp  of  Turin,   or  the 


88 

Council  there;  and  that  if  any  teachers  came 
among  them  from  Geneva  they  should  discover  or 
apprehend  them,  upon  pain  of  death  or  loss  of  all 
they  had.  For  three  years  after  this  the  Wal- 
denses  were  let  alone  and  no  way  molested;  but 
this  year,  1560,  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  much  against 
his  will  and  inclination,  was  drawn  by  the  Pope 
to  make  war  upon  them. 

"  The  pastor  of  Perousa  was  taken  and  burnt 
with  a  slow  fire,  together  with  many  of  his  flock, 
and  the  inhabitants  were  despoiled  of  all  they 
had  and  forced  to  flee  to  the  mountains.  Being 
thus  enraged  with  hard  usage,  in  the  month  of 
July  fifty  of  them  set  upon  one  hundred  and 
twenty  soldiers  belonging  to  the  Abbey  of  Pigne- 
rol,  (where  the  Inquisitors  were  stationed)  put 
them  to  flight  and  slew  the  greatest  part  of  them; 
and  about  four  hundred  more  of  their  party  com- 
ing up,  they  took  the  Abbey  of  Pignerol  and  de- 
livered all  their  people  which  were  imprisoned 
there.  In  October  following,  news  being  brought 
that  the  Duke  of  Savoy  was  sending  an  army  to 
destroy  them,  they  resolved  that  it  was  not  lawful 
to  take  arms  against  their  prince,  but  that  they 
would  take  what  they  could  carry  away  and  be- 
take themselves  to  the  rjiountains,  and  there  await 
the  good  pleasure  of  God,  who  never  forsakes  his 
own,  and  can  turn  the  hearts  of  princes  which  way 
he  pleaseth.  There  was  not  one  man  amongst 
them  who  repined  against  this  decree.  In  after- 
times  they  had  pastors  icho  taught  them  otherwise, 
and  told  them  it  was  not  their  prince  but  the  Pope 
that  they  resisted,  and  that  they  fought,  not  for 
their  religion,  but  for  their  wives  and  children." 


89 

The  forces  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy  entered  their 
borders,  and  the  soldiers  attempting  to  get  above 
them,  they  betook  themselves  to  their  slings  and 
maintained  a  fight  against  them  (though  they 
were  but  few  in  number)  the  space  of  a  whole 
day,  with  no  great  loss.  At  last  the  general, 
finding  they  were  not  to  be  forced,  gave  them 
leave  to  petition  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  "  that  they 
might  live  in  peace,  assuring  him  that  nothing 
but  utter  ruin  could  have  forced  them  to  take 
arms  against  him;  for  which  they  humbly  begged 
his  highness's  pardon,  and  begging  the  liberty  of 
their  consciences  and  that  they  might  not  be 
forced  to  submit  to  the  traditions  of  the  church  of 
Rome,  but  might,  with  his  leave,  enjoy  the  reli- 
gion they  had  learned  from  their  ancestors." — 
"This  petition  was  seconded  by  the  Duchess  of 
Savoy,  who  was  a  merciful  princess,  and  had 
great  power  over  the  affections  of  the  Duke.  It 
being  ever  her  judgment  that  this  people  were 
not  to  be  so  severely  used,  who  had  not  changed 
their  religion  a  few  days  ago,  but  had  been  in 
possession  of  it  from  their  ancestors  so  many 
ages."  Upon  this  they  were  received  to  mercy; 
but  the  soldiery  fell  upon  them  when  they  sus- 
pected nothing. and  plundered  them  three  days 
together. 

Having  sent  a  deputation  to  the  Duke  to  peti- 
tion for  mercy,  their  deputies  were  required  to 
ask  pardon  of  the  Pope's  nuncio,  and  to  promise 
to  admit  the  mass,  which  they  did.  "  On  their 
return,  when  the  principals  understood  what  had 
been  done,  they  wrote  to  the  rest  of  the  Valleys 
what  had  been  done  and  desired  a  public  consul- 
8* 


90 

tation  or  diet,  at  which  it  was  agreed  that  they 
should  all  join  in  a  league  to  defend  their  reli- 
gion." 

"And  the  next  day  they  entered  into  the  church 
of  Bobbio  and  broke  down  the  images  and  altars, 
and  marching  to  Villare,  where  they  intended  to 
do  the  like,  they  met  the  soldiers,  whom  they 
pelted  with  their  slings."  After  this  they  beat 
the  captain  of  Turin  in  a  second  fight.  By  this 
time  the  whole  army  drew  into  the  field,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  these  valleys  not  being  able  to  re- 
sist them,  the  soldiers  burnt  all  their  towns  and 
houses,  and  destroyed  all  the  people  they  took. 
After  this  a  peace  was  concluded,  but  it  lasted 
only  four  years,  for  in  1565,  at  the  importunate 
request  of  the  Catholic  party,  an  edict  was  issued 
enjoining  every  subject  throughout  the  dominions 
of  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  within  ten  days,  to  appear 
before  the  magistrates  and  declare  their  readiness 
to  go  to  mass,  or  quit  the  country  in  two  months. 
The  Protestant  Princes  of  Germany,  and  espe- 
cially the  Elector  Palatine  of  the  Rhine,  inter- 
ceded on  their  behalf,  and  being  seconded  by  the 
entreaties  of  the  Duchess  of  Savoy,  the  Duke 
again  relented,  and  "  they  enjoyed  peace  until 
the  year  1571,  when  the  Duke  being  drawn  in  to 
join  several  of  the  Princes  of  Europe  in  a  league 
offensive  against  the  Protestants;  which  he  had 
no  sooner  done,  than  he  began  to  molest  his  Pro- 
testant subjects  in  the  valleys."  The  Duchess 
again  interposed  on  their  behalf,  and  the  Wal- 
denses  were  permitted  to  remain  with  Httle  mo- 
lestation until  the  death  of  the  Duke,  which  took 
place  in  1580. 


91 

He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Charles  Em- 
manuel, who  being  waited  upon  by  the  deputies 
of  the  Waldenses,  assuring  him  of  their  fidelity 
and  asking  his  favor,  he  promised  to  protect  them 
from  molestation,  which  he  did  till  the  end  of  the 
century,  being  about  twenty  years. 

In  the  Marquisate  of  Saluces,  a  tract  of  coun- 
try at  the  head  of  the  river  Po,  and  separated 
from  the  Valley  of  Lucerne,  in  Piedmont,  only 
by  a  single  mountain,  there  was  a  settlement  of 
dissenters  from  the  church  of  Rome,  who  had  for 
''  many  ages  maintained  the  purity  of  the  Chris- 
tian profession,  living  in  great  harmony,  and 
holdings  fellowship  with  the  neighboring  churches 
of  the  same  faith  and  order. 

This  district  of  country  had  been  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Kings  of  France  until  the  year 
1588,  when  it  was  ceded  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy. 
Previous  to  this  time,  "  their  external  peace  had 
been  frequently  invaded  by  the  Kings  of  France, 
and  their  constancy  and  patience  under  sufferings 
put  severely  to  the  test;  but  if  the  French  mon- 
archs  had  chastised  them  with  whips,  it  was  re- 
served for  their  new  sovereign,  Charles  Em- 
manuel,  to  do  it  with  scorpions.  In  the  year 
1597,  he  made  his  pleasure  known  to  his  new 
subjects,  that  they  should  embrace  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion.  They  replied  by  an  humble 
petition,  requesting  him  to  allow  them  to  enjoy 
their  ancient  religious  privileges,  and  reminded 
him  that  even  the  Jews  were  allowed  to  live  in 
peace  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  religious 
worship.  This  answer  was  not  without  effect, 
for  they  remained  undisturbed  until  1601,  when 


92 

an  edict  was  issued,  requiring  all  dissenters  to 
appear  before  a  magistrate  within  fifteen  days 
and  renounce  their  profession  and  attend  mass, 
or  depart  out  of  the  country  within  the  space  of 
two  months,  never  to  return,  under  pain  of  death. 

This  barbarous  decree  was  put  in  execution, 
and  more  thai>  five  hundred  families  driven  into 
exile.  Some  crossed  the  Alps  and  retired  in 
Dauphiny,  in  France;  others,  to  Geneva,  while 
many  sought  a  refuge  among  their  friends  in  the 
valleys  of  Piedmont. 

"  From  this  period  the  Waldenses  appear  to 
have  been  tolerably  free  from  persecution  for  half 
a  century.  But  in  the  month  of  January,  1655, 
the  tragedy  of  Saluces  was  reacted  over  almost 
all  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  and  with  tenfold 
cruelty." 

In  that  month  an  order  was  issued  by  Andrew 
Gastaldo.  doctor  of  the  civil  law  and  conservator 
general  of  the  holy  faith,  by  virtue  of  authority 
vested  in  him  by  the  duke  of  Savoy,  to  require 
''every  head  of  a  family  with  its  members  of  the 
reformed  religion,  of  whatever  rank  or  condition, 
in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  within  three  days  from 
the  publication  of  the  decree  to  depart  and  to  be 
with  their  families  withdrawn  out  of  the  said 
places,"  and  to  be  transported  into  the  places  al- 
lowed by  his  royal  highness,  under  pain  of  death 
and  confiscation  of  goods,  unless  they  would  em- 
brace the  Catholic  religion.  Notwithstanding 
their  humble  petitions  for  mercy,  this  inhuman 
decree  procured  by  the  Roman  clergy  was,  after 
a  feeble  resistance,  executed  by  a  military  force 
of  six  thousand  men,  assisted  by  a  promiscuous 


93 

rabble  of  plunderers  gatliered  from  the  neighbor- 
ing states. 

The  massacre  that  ensued,  estimated  at  six 
thousand  persons,  is  described  by  eye  witnesses 
and  historians  as  horrible  beyond  measure. 

All  the  Protestant  nations  of  Europe  were  filled 
with  grief  and  indignation ;  among  them  the 
English  took  the  most  active  part,  and  the  protec- 
tor CromwTll,  assisted  by  his  secretary,  the  poet 
Milton,  drew  up  a  most  able  and  touching  remon- 
strance addressed  to  the  duke  of  Savoy,  which  he 
sent  by  the  hands  of  a  special  ambassador,  Sir 
Samuel  Moreland.  He  also  addressed  letters  to 
the  king  of  France  and  all  the  Protestant  princes 
of  Europe,  and  he  caused  collections  to  be  taken 
up  throughout  England  for  the  relief  of  the  suf- 
ferers, which  amounted  to  thirty-eight  thousand 
two  hundred  and  forty-one  pounds  sterling.  Mil- 
ton's feelings  w^ere  so  deeply  interested  for  the 
fate  of  the  poor  Waldenses,  that  he  composed  the 
following  touching  little  poem  : 

ON  THE  LATE  MASSACRE  IN  PIEDMONT. 

Avenge,  Oh  Lord!  thy  slaughtered  saintp,  whose  bones 
Lie  scatlered  on  the  Alpine  inounleiins  cold; 
Ev'n  them  who  kept  thy  truth  so  pure  of  old, 
When  all  our  fathers  worshipt  stocks  and  stones, 

Forget  not:  in  thy  book  record  their  groans 
Who  were  thy  sheep,  and  in  their  ancient  fold 
Slain  by  the  bloody  Piedmontesc  that  roli'd 
Mother  with  infant  down  the  rocks.     Their  moans 

The  vales  redoubled  to  the  hill:^,  and  Ihcy 

To  heaven.     Their  niartyr'd  blood  and  ashes  sow 
O'er  all  th'  Italian  fields,  whore  still  doth  sway 

The  tripled  tyrant;  that  from  these  may  grow 
A  hundred  fold,  who  having  learn'd  thy  way 
Early  may  fly  the  Babylonian  woe. 


94 

The  reaionslrance  of  Cromwell,  and  the  inter- 
cession of  the  Swiss  and  other  friends  of  the  Wal- 
denses,  induced  the  duke  of  Savoy  to  enter  into  a 
treaty  in  the  year  1(355,  granting  liberty  to  the 
scattered  survivors  to  return  to  their  homes,  or 
rather  to  the  desolated  valleys  where  their  homes 
had  once  been  found.  Notwithstanding  the  sup- 
plies sent  them  from  other  countries,  they  suffer- 
ed for  many  years  the  most  grievous  wants,  being 
harassed  continually  by  their  enemies,  and  the 
provisions  of  the  treaty  disregarded. 

In  the  year  1663  another  attempt  was  made  to 
extirpate  them,  when  they  stood  upon  the  defen- 
sive,  and  kept  their  enemies  at  bay  until  their 
friends  in  the  Swiss  Cantons  interfered  and  pre- 
vailed upon  the  duke  to  renew  the  treaty  of  1655. 
This  state  of  things  continued  until  1672,  when 
an  event  occurred  which  marks  a  striking  dilTer- 
ence  in  their  principles  from  those  W'hich  were 
held  by  the  ancient  Waldenses.  The  duke  being 
at  war  with  the  Genoese,  and  his  troops  much 
worsted  in  the  conflict,  the  Waldenses  embraced 
the  opportunity  to  show  their  loyalty  and  volun- 
tarily enrolled  themselves  in  the  army,  where  they 
fought  so  valiantly  as  to  turn  the  tide  of  victory 
in  favor  of  their  sovereign.  The  duke  Vv-as  so 
much  pleased  with  tiieir  conduct,  that  he  address- 
ed  tliem  a  letter  of  thanks,  and  promised  them  his 
"  royal   protection." 

He  continued  to  favor  them  till  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  took  place  in  1675,  and  his  widow, 
who  governed  for  ten  years  afterwards  during  the 
minority  of  her  son,  extended  to  them  the  same 
favor. 


95 

Victor  Amadous  II.  began  to  reign  in  1085, 
and  became  connected  by  marriage  with  Louis 
XIV,  king  of  France,  "one  of  the  most  detestable 
and  sanguinary  tyrants  that  ever  sat  on  a  throne." 
It  was  he  that  revoked  the  edict  of  Nantz  in  the 
year  1685,  and  exposed  his  Protestant  subjects, 
who  then  numbered  about  two  millions,  to  the  ut- 
most rigor  of  persecution.  Great  numbers  were 
put  to  death  in  the  most  cruel  manner,  and  about 
eight  hundred  thousand  persons  compelled  to 
leave  the  kinodom.  Through  his  instigation  the 
duke  of  Savoy,  contrary  to  his  own  better  feelings 
and  judgment,  issued  an  edict  in  1686  "  forbid- 
ding his  subjects  the  exercise  of  the  Protestant  re- 
ligion upon  pain  of  death,  the  confiscation  of  their 
goods,  the  demolition  of  their  churches,  and  the 
banishment  of  their  pastors." 

"All  infants  from  that  time  were  to  be  brought 
up  in  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  under  the 
penalty  of  their  fathers  being  condemned  to  the 
gallies." 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Swiss  Cantons  again  in- 
terposed their  good  offices  to  save  these  afflicted 
people  from  the  impending  calamity;  but  all  they 
could  obtain  for  them  was  a  temporary  respite, 
and  an  edict  permitting  them  to  leave  their  coun- 
try. This  edict  required  them  to  demolish  their 
churches,  lay  down  their  arms,  and  divide  them- 
selves into  three  bodies  to  be  conducted  out  of  the 
country.  Having  no  confidence  in  the  edict,  and 
believing  it  to  be  intended  to  ensnare  them,  they 
refused  to  accept  the  terms,  and  prepared  them- 
selves for  a  stout  resistance.     They  fortified  the 


06 

passes  to  the  valleys,  armed  themselves  as  they 
best  could,  and  waited  for  their  enemies. 

Tiie  Waldenses  under  arms  were  about  twenty- 
five  hundred, — the  army  of  the  duke  with  his 
French  allies  much  larger.  After  defending 
themselves  vigorously  the  Waldenses  were  over- 
come by  treachery  and  force,  great  numbers  of 
both  sexes  and  all  ages  were  barbarously  treated 
and  put  to  death,  and  twelve  thousand  of  the  sur- 
vivors, men,  women,  and  children,  cast  into 
prison.* 

By  the  entreaties  of  the  Swiss  ambassadors  the 
prison  doors  were  at  length  opened;  but  it  was 
now  the  beginning  of  winter,  and  the  poor  ema- 
ciated and  almost  naked  captives,  reduced  in 
number  to  about  seven  thousand,  were  compelled 
to  take  up  their  march  across  the  snow-clad  Alps 
to  seek  an  asylum  in  Switzerland,  where  such  as 
survived  the  hardships  of  the  journey  were  kind- 
ly received  and  hospitably  entertained. 

Their  beautiful  valleys  were  depopulated,  laid 
waste,  and  given  to  strangers.  After  remaining 
three  years  in  Switzerland,  a  small  but  intrepid 
band,  consisting  of  about  eight  hundred  under  the 
conduct  o^Arnaud  their  pastor,  returned  with  arjns 
in  their  hands,  determined  to  reconquer  their  na- 
tive country.  Although  opposed  by  far  superior 
numbers,  they  were  enabled  to  sustain  themselves 
until  a  rupture  took  place  between  the  king  of 
France  and  the  duke  of  Savoy,  "  when,  joining 
the  troops  of  their  lawful  sovereign,  they  proved 

*  Jones',  ii.  p.  450. 


their  loyalty,  and  were  permitted  to  re-ostablisli 
themselves  on  their  small  patrimonial  estates." 
"  Thus  re-established  they  became  the  stock  of 
the  existing  race  of  Vaudois,  who  are  still  to  be 
found  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont."*  Though 
much  reduced  in  numbers  and  influence  they  are 
still  interesting  to  the  Protestant  world  as  the  de- 
scendants of  that  martyr  band  who  during  centu- 
ries of  persecution,  while  darkness  brooded  over 
Europe,  kept  alive  the  sacred  flame  of  religion, 
and  prophesied  in  sackcloth.  It  must,  however, 
be  acknowledged  that  our  interest  in  them  is  di- 
minished by  the  consideration,  that  in  one  impor- 
tant particular,  at  least,  they  have  not  maintained 
the  principles  of  their  forefathers,  who  bore  a  tes- 
timony against  the  taking  of  human  life,  and 
would  not  fight  even  in  self-defence.  It  is  true 
that  the  circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed 
were  such  as  to  try  men's  souls  to  the  very  utter- 
most; persecuted,  robbed,  imprisoned,  and  tortured, 
their  homes  demolished,  and  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren butchered  before  their  eyes,  it  is  evident  that 
nothing  but  the  lamb-like  spirit  of  Christ  could 
preserve  them  from  the  shedding  of  blood.  They 
performed  prodigies  of  valor,  but  what  did  this 
avail  them?  they  were  driven  from  their  country, 
and  what  is  still  worse,  they  were  driven  from 
their  principles.  Their  ancestors  had  for  many 
centuries  been  persecuted  and  sometimes  reduced 
to  the  greatest  extremities;  but  they  still  adhered 
to  their  peaceable  principles,  Divine  Providence 
watched  over  them,  and  even  when  permitted  to 

*  Sims'  Introduction  to  Peyran's  Historical  Defence  of 
Vaudois, 

9 


98 

be  exiled  fruni  their  country,  they  became  instru- 
mental in  spreading  the  knowledge  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom. 

One  of  the  best  and  most  satisfactory  historians 
of  this  interesting  people*  brings  their  history 
down  to  the  time  of  their  last  dispersion  in  1686, 
and  gives  no  account  of  the  small  band  who  re- 
turned under  Arnaud,  1689,  because  (as  he  says 
in  the  preface  to  his  fifth  London  edition)  he  does 
not  consider  this  band  who  came  from  Geneva 
"equipped  with  arms  and  ammunition,^^  to  be  of  the 
same  church  as  ''the  meek  confessors  of  Pied- 
mont.^^  It  appears  that  those  who  now  bear  the 
name  of  Vaudois  or  Waldenses  differ  in  several 
other  particulars  from  that  ancient  church. 

We  learn  from  the  narrative  of  Gilly,  who 
visited  Piedmont  in  the  year  1823,  that  they  are 
"partial  to  the  Episcopal  form  of  church  govern- 
ment; and  though  particular  circumstances  have 
induced  them  to  drop  the  title  of  bishop  in  its 
generally  received  sense,  yet  the  Episcopal  func- 
tions are  retained."  "  At  present,"  says  he, 
"  either  the  liturgy  of  Geneva  or  that  of  Neuf- 
chatel  is  read  in  the  churches,  according  to  the 
discretion  of  the  pastor;  but  that  of  Geneva,  which 
is  a  beautiful  production,  is  principally  followed. 
The  rituals  which  are  adopted  in  conformity  to 
their  intercourse  with  Switzerland,  have  a  service 
for  the  communion,  and  different  forms  for  certain 
days  and  seasons.'^  In  order  to  carry  out  this 
system  of  forms,  and  to  read  this  "  beautiful  lit- 
urgy" they  must  of  course  have  a  paid  ministry, 

s 

*  Jon«». 


99 

Accordingly  we  learn  from  Sim's  Introduction 
before  cited,  that  out  of  Queen  Mary's  grant  of 
five  hundred  pounds  per  annum,  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  and  sixty-six  pounds  per  annum  was 
granted  for  the  support  of  thirteen  ministers  and 
their  widows,  after  the  return  of  the  Vaudois  to 
their  native  valleys  in  the  year  1690.  This 
grant  w  as  suspended  in  1797,  but  has  since  been 
restored. 

In  17e8  collections  were  made  in  Great  Britain 
"  to  enable  the  Vaudois  to  maintain  their  ministers j 
churches,  schools,  and  poor."  A  capital  of  ten 
thousand  pounds  was  raised  and  invested  in  three 
per  cent,  bank  annuities  for  this  purpose,  and  the 
interest  has  been  regularly  remitted.  Now  let 
us  contrast  these  modern  Vaudois  with  the  an- 
cient Waldenses,  as  described  by  Jones  in  his 
preface  before  cited,  p.  xxv.  He  says,  "  they 
were  dissenters, — Protestant  dissenters  ;  dissen- 
ters upon  principle  not  only  from  the  church  of 
Rome,  but  also  from  all  national  establishments 
of  religion.  They  existed  by  mere  toleration  from 
the  civil  government, — they  acknowledged  no 
earthly  potentate  as  head  of  the  church;  they 
absolutely  protested  against  every  thing  of  the 
kind.  They  had  no  book  of  common  prayer,  no 
liturgy,  no  thirty-nine  articles  to  guard  them  from 
error,  heresy,  or  schism.  They  had  no  reverend 
gentlemen, — no  privileged  order  of  clergymen 
paid  or  pensioned  for  discharging  the  duties  of 
the  pastoral  office  among  them.  They  paid  par- 
ticular respect  to  the  Lord's  words,  '  Be  ye  not 
called  Rabbi,  for  one  is  your  Master,  even  Christ, 
and  all  ye  are  brethren:     And  call  no  man  your 


100 

father  upon  eartli;  for  one  is  your  Father  which 
is  in  heaven.  Neil  her  be  ye  called  masters,  for 
one  is  your  Master,  even  Christ;  but  he  that  is 
greatest  among  you  shall  be  your  servant.'  " 

It  becomes  an  interesting  inquiry  to  know 
when  and  from  what  cause  arose  this  change  of 
principles  among  the  Waldenses. 

I  think  it  may  be  clearly  shown  that  it  took 
place  soon  after  their  union  with  the  churches  of 
Germany  and  Geneva,  and  originated  in  the  em- 
ployment of  Calvinist  ministers,  who,  contrary  to 
the  practice  of  the  ancient  Waldenses,  received  a 
salary  for  preaching.  It  has  been  already  stated 
that  the  Waldensian  churches  of  Merindole  and 
Cabriare,  in  the  south  of  France,  '^hired  teachers 
from  Germany^^  in  the  year  1540,  and  soon  after 
a  horrible  persecution  ensued,  by  which  they 
were  exterminated  or  expelled  from  their  country. 
In  like  manner  the  Waldenses  of  Calabria,  in  i\\e 
south  of  Italy,  "  formed  a  junction  in  1560  with 
Calvin's  church  at  Geneva,  and  several  pastors 
or  public  teachers  went  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Geneva  to  settle  with  the  churches  of  Calabria." 

This  excited  alarm  and  jealousy  among  the 
Catholics,  who  required  them  ^'' to  desist  from  hear- 
ing these  new  teachers,^''  which  not  being  complied 
with,  a  horrible  massacre  ensued  and  the  whole 
settlement  was  destroyed. 

The  main  body  of  the  Waldenses  in  Piedmont, 
"in  the  year  1555,  had  embraced  the  Reformation, 
and  had  sufTcred  it  to  be  publicly  preached." — 
This  increased  the  bitter  feelings  of  the  Catho- 
lics towards  them,  who  required  them,  "  if  any 
teachers   came   among    them  from    Geneva,   they  . 


101 

ihould  discover  or  apprehend  them  upon  pain  of 
death."  A  severe  persecution  ensued,  and  the 
duke  of  Savoy,  instigated  by  the  pope,  made  war 
upon  them.  They  resisted  and  a  bloody  conflict 
ensued,  during  which  ''the  soldiers  burnt  all  their 
towns  and  houses,  and  destroyed  all  the  people 
they  took." 

When  we  reflect  that  the  Waldenses  of  Pied- 
mont had  dissented  from  the  church  of  Rome  and 
borne  an  open  testimony  against  its  corruptions 
for  at  least  seven  hundred  years  previous  to  the 
Reformation,  and  although  often  persecuted  their 
numbers  continued  to  increase  and  spread  to 
other  countries,  we  may  reasonably  conclude 
that  some  change  must  then  have  taken  place 
which  increased  the  rancour  of  their  enemies. 
Previous  to  that  time  "  they  prohibited  or  con- 
demned  in  ilieir  society  all  loars  and  suits  at  law, 
all  attempts  towards  the  acquisition  of  wealth, 
the  infliction  of  capital  punishments,  self-defence 
against  unjust  violence,  and  oaths  o^  all  kinds."* 
Soon  after  the  pastors  from  Geneva  came  among 
them  they  began  to  defend  themselves;  one  hun- 
dred  years  later  "  they  are  said  to  have  fought 
more  like  lions  than  men,^^  and  subsequently  they 
volunteered  their  services  to  fight  the  battles  of 
their  sovereign  against  the  Genoese. 

The  character  of  a  people  is  generally  mould- 
ed, or  at  least  modified  by  their  religious  teachers; 
and  it  has  passed  into  a  proverb,  "like  priest,  like 
people." 

The  ministers  of  the  ancient  Waldenses  did  not 
follow  preaching  as  a  trade  or  profession;  "  they 

*  Mo«hiem,  i.  339. 
9* 


102 

were  not  paid  or  pensioned,"  but  "  they  maintain- 
ed," says  Moshiein,  "  that  the  rulers  and  minis- 
ters of  the  church  were  obliged  by  their  vocation 
to  imitate  the  poverty  of  the  apostles,  and  to  pro- 
cure  for  themselves  a  subsistence  by  the  work  of 
their  hands;"  "  they  considered  every  Christian 
as  in  some  measure  qualified  and  authorized  to 
instruct,  exhort,  and  confirm  the  brethren  in  their 
Christian  course."*"  It  does  not  appear  that  they 
were  learned  in  theology;  they  did  not  trouble 
themselves  about  those  nice  distinctions  and  spec- 
ulative opinions  which  have  embroiled  the  Catho- 
lic and  Protestant  churches, — but  they  had  suffi- 
cient learning  to  read  their  bibles,  which  they  did 
most  diligently;  and  instead  of  looking  to  man  to 
explain  its  mysteries,  they  looked  only  to  Him 
"that  hath  the  key  of  David;  he  that  openeth 
and  no  man  shutteth,  and  shutteth  and  no  man 
openeth." 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  teachers  of  the  Protes- 
tant churches  of  Germany  and  Geneva.  Although 
1  would  not  willingly  disparage  their  services  to 
mankind,  nor  detract  from  their  well-earned  repu- 
tation, yet  I  fully  concur  in  the  remark  of  a 
British  historian,  that  "  the  Reformers,  with  all 
their  zeal  and  learning,  were  babes  in  scriptural 
knowledge  when  compared  with  the  more  illiter- 
ate Waldenses,  particularly  in'  regard  to  the  na- 
ture  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  its  institutions, 
laws,  and  worship  in  general.  Luther,  for  in- 
stance, besides  that  both  he  and  Calvin  always 
contended  for  a  form  of  national  Christianity, — a 

*  Moshiem,  i.  332. 


108 

principle  which,  the  moment  it  is  received  into 
the  mind,  must  necessarily  darken  it  as  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  kingdom  of  Christ, — Luther,  with  all 
his  zeal  against  popery,  was  never  able  to  disin- 
tangle  his  own  mind  from  the  inexplicable  doc. 
trine  of  transubstantiation,  which  he  had  imbibed 
in  the  church  of  Rome.  He,  indeed,  changed  the 
name,  but  he  retained  all  the  absurdity  of  the 
thing.  He  rejected  the  word  transubstantiation, 
tl?at  is,  the  bread  and  wine  were  not  changed  into 
the  substance  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ, — 
but  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  were  really  and 
actually  present  in  the  elements  of  bread  and 
wine,  and  were  therefore  literally  eaten  and 
drunk  by  the  communicants."*  "  And  with  re- 
spect to  Calvin,"  says  the  same  author,  "it  is 
manifest  that  the  leading,  and  to  me,  at  least,  the 
most  hateful  feature,  in  all  the  multiform  charac- 
ter of  popery,  adhered  to  him  through  life;  I  mean 
the  spirit  of  persecution.  Holding,  as  I  do,  many 
doctrinal  sentiments  in  common  with  Calvin,  I  am 
prompted  to  speak  my  opinion  of  him  with  the 
less  reserve.  I  I'egard  him  as  a  man  whom  the 
Creator  had  endowed  with  transcendant  talents, 
and  have  no  doubt  that  he  knew  what  '  flesh  and 
blood  could  never  reveal  to  him.'  "  *  *  *  * 
"  No  mere  man  probably  ever  surpassed  Calvin 
in  his  indefatigable  labors,  according  to  the  mea- 
sure  of  his  bodily  strength,  in  making  known  to 
others  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  Jesus, 
both  from  the  pulpit  and  the  press;  and  his  bitter- 
est enemies  cannot  deny  that  the  progress  of  the 

*  Jones'  Ch.  Hist.  ii.  237. 


104 

lUformation  was  wonderfully  accelerated  by  hi* 
means.  Yet  with  all  these  excellencies,  Calvin 
was  a  persecutor!  He  had  yet  to  learn,  or  at 
least  hoio  to  practice  that  simple  lesson  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men 
should  do  unto  you  do  ye  even  so  unto  them. 
Calvin  could  never  comprehend  how  another  man 
could  have  as  great  a  right  to  think  wrong,  as  he 
himself  had  to  think  right!  and  that  it  is  the  sole 
prerogative  of  the  King  of  Zion  to  punish  his  ene- 
mies and  the  corriiptors  of  his  truth.  Upon  this 
point  his  judgment  was  perverted  by  the  princi- 
ples of  his  education,  and,  unhappily  for  his  own 
character  and  the  cause  of  truth,  his  conduct  was 
founded  upon  this  erroneous  judgment.  His  be- 
havior throughout  the  whole  alTair  of  Servetus  is 
too  well  known  to  need  any  explanation  in  this 
place;  but  I  conceive  it  to  be  the  imperative  duty 
of  every  friend  to  toleration  and  the  rights  of  con- 
science to  express  their  marked  abhorrence  of 
this  part  of  the  character  of  Calvin."*  The 
transaction  here  alluded  to  I  will  briefly  notice. 
Michael  Servetus,  a  Spanish  physician  who  had 
settled  at  Vienne  in  France,  published  some 
works  concerning  the  doctrines  of  Christianity, 
which  gave  offence  to  both  Catholics  and  Protes- 
tants. *'  Having  escaped  from  Vienne,  and  hap- 
pening to  come  to  Geneva  in  his  retreat  to  Naples, 
Calvin  '  procured  iiis  apprehension  and  imprison- 
ment.^ He  was  brought  to  trial.  After  various 
delays  he  was  sentenced  to  be  burnt  alive,  '  for 
having  set  himself  in  array  against  the  Divine 

•  Jones,  ii.  p.  Q39r 


105 

Majesty  and  the  Holy  Trinity;'  and  the  dreadful 
sentence  was  executed  that  same  day  on  which  it 
was  pronounced.'"  The  writer  of  the  article  (en- 
titled Calvin)  in  the  Edinburg  Encyclopaedia 
from  which  I  have  extracted  this  account  ap- 
pears  to  be  an  advocate  of  Calvin,  to  whom,  he 
says,  "  the  daring  impiety  and  presumptuous  in- 
solence of  Servetus  had  become  intolerable."  Ilis 
impiety  was,  doubtless,  a  denial  of  the  trinitarian 
doctrines,  and  his  presumption  consisted  in  think- 
ing differently  from  his  persecutors. 

The  same  writer  informs  us  that  "  the  princi- 
ples of  toleration  were  as  yet  but  imperfectly  un- 
derstood. Even  those  who  formally  recognized 
them  had  not  imbibed  their  genuine  spirit.  And 
the  persecuting  temper  of  popery  was  insensibly  re- 
tained, after  men  had  discovered  its  corruptions 
and  emancipated  themselves  in  a  great  measure 
from  its  yoke.  This  was  the  case  in  every  place 
where  the  Reformation  existed,  and  with  every 
sect  of  Christians  that  was  possessed  of  power." 
"  It  appears,  too,  that  the  proceedings  against 
Servetus  received  the  approbation  of  almost  all 
the  eminent  ecclesiastics  who  then  flourished. 

The  Reformed  Swiss  Cantons  were  unanimous 
in  exhorting  the  council  of  Geneva  to  punish  the 
wicked  man,  and  to  put  it  out  of  his  power  to  in- 
crease heresy.  Faral,  Viret,  Bucer,  Beza,  (Eco- 
lampadius,  and  even  the  gentle  Melancthon,  ap- 
proved of  the  measure.'^ 

Here  we  discern  the  cause  why  the  Catholic 
priests  and  the  pope  were  so  much  incensed 
against  the  Waldenses  for  receiving  the  Protes- 
tant teachers  of  Geneva;  these  teachers  were  of 


109 

the  game  spirit  as  themselves,  •'  the  ptrsecutiiig  spi- 
rit of  popery  was  insensibly  retained,''^  and  they 
were  instrumental  in  changing  the  character  of 
the  simple  and  inoffensive  Waldenscs  from  the 
nature  of  the  lamb  to  that  of  the  lion. 

So  long  as  they  remained  under  the  teachings 
of  their  native  barbs,  or  ministers,  who  were 
husbandmen  and  mechanics  little  accustomed  to 
controversy,  they  excited  less  suspicion  and  alarm 
than  afterwards,  when  under  the  pastoral  charge 
of  men  versed  in  theology,  and  animated  with  an 
ardent  proselyting  zeal.  It  may  be  supposed  by 
some,  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  doctrines  of 
the  Reformers  of  Germany  and  Switzerland  that 
led  to  persecution;  but  rather,  that  it  was  the  re- 
sult of  education  and  the  spirit  of  the  age.  From 
this  sentiment  I  must  dissent;  for  it  appears  evi- 
dent  to  me,  that  any  system  of  doctrines  which 
restricts  the  salvation  of  mankind  to  any  set  of 
opinions  ivhatever,  must  lead  to  persecution  when 
supported  by  numbers  and  accompanied  by  tempo- 
ral power.  The  religion  of  J(S5;/s  Christ  does  not 
consist  in  opinions,  but  in  principles.  He  enjoined 
upon  his  followers  no  creed,  he  instituted  no  cere- 
monies; but  he  directed  his  disciples  to  wait  for 
the  teachings  of  the  comforter  or  "  Spirit  of 
Truth,"  which,  said  he,  will  lead  you  into  all 
Truth,  and  "  by  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples  if  ye  have  love  one  towards 
another." 

A  man  may  conscientiously  differ  from  others 
in  opinion,  he  may  even  entertain  erroneous 
opinions,  (as  most  men  probably  do)  but  if  his 
heart  is  right  towards  God, — if  the  principles  thai 


107 

actuate  his  conduct  are  the  fruits  of  the  spirit — 
love,  joy,  peace,  long  suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, faith,  meekness,  and  temperance — then  is  he 
a  disciple  of  Christ,  and  a  subject  of  his  spiritual 
kingdom. 

Now  it  appears  that  these  liberal  and  tolerant 
doctrines  of  Christianity  were  not  clearly  per- 
ceived by  the  Reformers;  they  taught  that  cer- 
tain opinions  which  they  held  witJi  regard  to  the 
trinity  and  atonement  wei^e  essential  to  salvation^ 
and  when  they  became  possessed  of  temporal 
power  they  were  easily  persuaded  to  exercise  it 
in  order  to  compel  men  to  come  into  what  they 
considered  the  fold  of  Christ. 

The  same  intolerant  viev/s,  when  accompanied 
by  temporal  power,  will  always  lead  to  persecu- 
tion, and  especially  when  the  interests  of  the 
priesthood  are  endangered  by  the  desertion  of 
their  followers. 

From  the  facts  here  related,  we  may  draw 
many  instructive  conclusions,  to  two  of  which 
only  I  will  call  the  reader's  attention. 

First.  The  ministers  of  Christ,  like  the  apostles 
and  teachers  of  the  primitive  church,  should  not 
look  to  man  for  their  reward,  nor  seek  for  their 
weapons  in  the  schools  of  theology;  nor  should 
the  people  to  whom  they  minister  permit  them  to 
be  "as  lords  over  God's  heritage,"  but  require 
them  to  be  "examples  to  the  flock."  1  Pet.  v.  3. 

Secondly.  The  triumphs  of  the  religion  of  Jesu3 
Christ  have  always  been  achieved  through  suffer- 
ing, and  never  by  resistance  or  violence. 

He  did  not  exert  his  miraculous  power  to  de- 
strov  hi3  enemies,  but  he  laid   down  his  life  to 


108 

save  them;  and  the  apostles,  when  brought  under 
the  baptizing  power  of  the  holy  spirit,  cheerfully 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  their  Master.  In  like 
manner  their  successors,  the  martyrs  of  the  primi- 
tive  church  and  the  faithful  followers  of  Christ  in 
each  succeeding  age,  have  been  made  willing  to 
drink  of  the  cup  that  he  drank  of,  and  thus  "  to 
fill  up  that  which  is  behind  of  the  afflictions  of 
Christ,  for  his  body's  sake,  which  is  the  church." 
Col.  i.  24.  Although  we  can  but  deplore  the 
wickedness  of  those  cruel  men  who  have  subject- 
ed the  faithful  to  persecution  and  death,  we  must 
admire  the  wisdom  and  adore  the  goodness  of  God 
who  so  filled  the  hearts  of  his  servants  with  divine 
love,  that  they  could  rejoice  in  the  midst  of  suffer- 
ings, and  triumph  even  in  death  over  all  the 
powers  of  darkness  and  wickedness  of  men. 

But  may  we  not  boldly  affirm  that  there  is  no 
other  way  in  which  the  strongholds  of  superstition 
and  error  can  be  so  effectually  assailed  as  by  the 
meek  example  and  patient  sufferings  of  the  faith- 
ful. If  we  attempt  to  reclaim  mankind  from  their 
errors  by  physical  force,  or  even  by  harsh  invec- 
tive, we  rouse  in  them  the  spirit  of  resistance  and 
defeat  our  purpose;  but  he  who  is  actuated  by 
that  meek  and  gentle  spirit  which  breathes  peace 
on  earth  and  good  will  to  men,  becomes  willing 
to  suffer  rather  than  contend;  and  thus  address- 
ing himself  to  the  best  feelings  of  the  human 
heart  he  "  overcomes  evil  with  good,"  destroys 
error  by  the  weapons  of  truth,  and  triumphs  over 
hatred  by  the  power  of  divine  love. 

THB    END. 


Date  Due 

^    .J 

F'liiSj 

b9 

59 

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■WlltBlilWMl 

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BW1670  .J34 

An  historical  sketch  of  the  Christian 

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1    1012  00068  3815 


